


Quest for the Lost

by the2anime_fanatics



Series: Sebastian's Daughter [2]
Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Book 2, Selena is still a baby, this one actually has plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:41:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 33,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22928869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the2anime_fanatics/pseuds/the2anime_fanatics
Summary: Selena Michaelis-half demon, half angel-has recently discovered that her mother, who had been thought dead ten years ago, can still be saved. She is trapped in a world between life and death, and believes she can return to her body if it is removed from a science lab that is in the United States of America.Selena, her father-Sebastian Michaelis-and their new found friend Scientist Maria Lynn, travel to the United States and search for the fallen angel. (Get it?)The young half demon, half angel must still keep a low profile, for she has not escaped the hunters' clutches just yet. She will also be in and out of many science labs in search of the missing body. The only difference is, this time, she's not alone.Will Selena be able to find her mother's body before it's too late? Will she finally escape the swarms of hunters and scientists? Can she finally have a real family again?Find out the answers to these questions and more, in Quest for the Lost, a Black Butler fan fiction
Series: Sebastian's Daughter [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1647892
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

"I didn't find anything," Maria said, breathing heavily from running.

"Neither did I," my father, Sebastian Michaelis, said, approaching us.

"There has to be something! She said we might find clues here!" I almost screamed, tears threatening to fall down my face. I sniffed.

"Selena, calm down," my father said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "We'll keep looking. But we can't stay here forever. We have to keep moving or we risk getting you caught."

Dad was right. I was still half demon, half angel. Scientists and hunters were searching for me this very minute. We couldn't stay in one place for very long, but I was willing to risk it if it meant getting Mom back.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I had to think. Mom had said that we might find clues at the scene of the crime, so that was where we decided to start. As we looked, all we found was an empty field. _There's_ _no way something_ _could've_ _stayed_ _here_ _for_ _ten_ _years_ _._

Then I had a better idea.

"I'll be right back," I told them, then unfurled my wings and flew high into the sky.

I heard Dad and Maria shout in protest, but I didn't listen. I had to get a bird's eye view of the field, or else I might miss something.

I carefully examined everything under me. The grass was green and dying, because winter was approaching. The trees all had few or no leaves. The ones that did, they were a crispy brown. Mom had always loved autumn. The trees changing and the cool breeze helped her relax. Our family had always been at its happiest.

But it was also this time of year that she died protecting me. Looking back, I believe that the hunters were actually after me when they killed her. Who would kill an angel?

I looked around and flew forward, trying to find anything that would help. When I thought I'd found something, I flew toward it, smiling.

Until I heard a gunshot, anyway.

I swiftly dodged it as I flew to the ground. A second shot fired, and a third. I dodged them, and then landed. I looked at what I had found. Here, there wasn't any grass, and it looked like tracks from a carriage. As I got closer to the dirt, I saw a dried, red patch.

It was my mother's blood.

I knew because it smelled like mine. I had a demonic appearance, and on the inside was the angel, hiding from the world the best it could.

I felt my eyes turn red and tears escape them. I squeezed them closed tightly, trying to calm down. We could follow the tracks and see where they take us, or-

I was cut off by another anti-demon gunshot. It grazed my thigh, cutting me.

I heard my father yell at me, but I stood my ground. I had to follow these tracks. I had to find Mom!

I felt more tears fall down my face, and then I felt another bullet hit me, in my side this time. _They_ _must_ _be_ _getting_ _closer_ _if_ _their_ _aim_ _is_ _improving_ _._

I gasped as I felt another bullet hit me in my chest, inches away from my heart. I folded my wings tightly against my back as I fell to the ground.

I felt my father pick me up. I opened my eyes slightly to see him running back to our carriage, away from our only clue so far.

I struggled against him, only making him hold me tighter. I saw Maria, and looked at her pleadingly. We had to go back.

Maria nodded, and stopped my father.

"She found something," was all she said.

I felt my father hold me tighter for a moment, almost like he was hugging me.

He turned around and went back to where I had been shot down next to my mother's ten year old blood. He seemed to notice then same thing I had.

He handed me to Maria, whispering something to her. She nodded, picked me up, and ran back to the carriage. I looked for my father, and saw him following the tracks.

I smiled, and jumped from Maria's arms. She wasn't able to carry me by herself. I was almost as tall as she was. She smiled, put my arm around her shoulders and helped me run back to the carriage.


	2. Chapter 2

Maria helped me into the cab of the carriage and then she got into the front. She drove us toward the ten year old tracks and blood, and followed my father.

This was one of the times that I questioned Maria. Why was she so willing to help us? Is she not human? If she was angel or demon, I would know by now, and so would my father.

I didn't have time to question her loyalty. I had been hit by anti demon bullets, and we were tracking down my mom. I'd have to save the questions for later.

My father was traveling at demon speed, so we wouldn't catch up to him in the carriage. We went as fast possible, though, and that would have to do for now.

We eventually found my father, standing at the end of the tracks, where a pond stood in the way.

I opened the door and hopped out, ignoring Maria's protest. My father didn't say a word as I approached him, trying desperately to not let my pain show. If it did, we would be back at the Phantomhive Manor or Maria's house in an instant.

Once I reached my father, I put my hand on his arm to steady myself. He shook my hand off and instead put it around me. I gratefully leaned into him and looked at the pond ahead of us.

"I don't understand," I said. "Why would the tracks lead to a pond? Mom said that her body was in the U.S."

Dad held me tighter. "I'm not sure," was all he said.

Maria walked over. "Selena, don't you think you should be resting? We haven't even had time to treat you yet."

My father and I responded at the same time.

"I'm fine."

"She's fine."

Maria took a step back.

I leaned on my father more as the pain in my chest grew. He noticed, but didn't do anything. He knew how important this was to me.

After a moment of scanning what was around me, I unfurled my wings and glided over the pond. I landed on the other side, the folded my wings and sat down hard on the ground.

I looked up to see my father and Maria looking at me worriedly. It had probably appeared to them that I had fallen. I waved to show I was okay, and then returned my gaze to the ground.

There were no more tracks, no blood, and no more dying grass. it was warmer over here. I blinked, and when my eyes flashed open, I was no longer by a pond or sitting on green grass. It was no longer warm, but burning hot.

I looked around and saw that everything was on fire. I saw my father and Maria looking at me, confused. Was I seeing things? Was this really happening?

Suddenly, a cloud of smoke surrounded my face, and I couldn't breathe. Then, it was like I was seeing into the past. There were three black carriages, all full of hunters. One of them held my mother. I could see her motionless body.

All of the sudden, there was a loud crash. I looked closer, and saw two of the carriages had collided. The two not holding my mother.

There was fire, screams, blood. Everything was covered with a giant black cloud of smoke. The guy pulled out a phone from his carriage, and stretched the cord as far as he could. He was calling for help.

No one saw me. The man in the carriage with my mother's body hung up the phone and immediately left. I guess having a dead body in the carriage when the police arrived would look a little shady.

The vision fast forwarded to a few days after the accident. There was now a pond. Someone was saying that the pond was in honor of the people lost in the tragic accident that had occurred. Why? They were hunters. They protected the town from unwanted supernatural monsters that no one wanted.

There was that word again. Monster...

Soon the vision faded, the fire stopped and the smoke cleared. I was lying on the ground and finally able to breathe again. I sat up, coughing, and saw that my father was no longer on the other side of the pond. I looked around and saw Maria next to me, but still no sign of my dad.

"The hunters caught up with us," Maria said. "Your father went to hold them off. We have to get out of here."

She helped me up, but I protested. I wasn't leaving without my father. I wasn't going to lose him as well.

"Maria, I'm not leaving him!" I yelled.

"Selena, he's going to catch up with us, I promise. But what he wants right now is to get you a safe distance away from here."

"And what _I_ want right now is my father!" I screamed at her. Then I looked up at her. She seemed hurt that I'd yelled at her. I quickly wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tightly.

"Maria, I'm sorry. I'm scared. I want my dad..."

She hugged me back. "It's okay. I'm scared, too. We have to get you back to the carriage. Once we do, I'll call for your dad and get us out of here, okay?"

I nodded, and let her help me up and back to the carriage.


	3. Chapter 3

"Sebastian!!!" Maria screamed when we got into the carriage.

My father looked back from fighting to us and nodded when he saw I was in the carriage. He did something to keep the enemies away for a moment while he ran to the carriage. I didn't see what he had done, but it seemed to work.

He was driving the carriage away in an instant. I heard a gun fire, and it ripped right through the old wooden carriage. I screamed, and Maria put me in her lap and held me tightly.

My father kept driving as I fought Maria. "No!" I screamed at her. "If another bullet gets through, it'll hit you instead of me!! You can't die for me! I'm not worth it. Let go, NOW!!" I screamed and kicked, my demon half taking over and trying to free me.

I looked at Maria with a furious expression. I could feel the blood pounding behind my blood red eyes, and knew that I'd be full out demon in no time if I didn't calm down. But that was the thing. I couldn't calm down at all right now. Not while she was risking her life for me.

Maria was shocked. My father was too busy getting us to safety to help, but I needed him.

I finally took control for a moment. "Dad..."

My father didn't take his eyes off the path in front of us, but I knew he was worried.

Maria let go of me, and I finally was me again. _What_ was _that_ _?_

Dad finally stopped the carriage. I looked out the window and saw that we were no longer being followed. Dad had managed to get us away.

I was sitting on the floor of the carriage after I noticed I was safe from the hunters for now. I held my pounding head in my hands. What happened to me?

Dad opened the door and I looked up at him. I had fear on my face and he had worry on his. I jumped up and hugged him, crying.

"Dad, what... what happened to me? One minute I just didn't want Maria to get hit by a bullet instead of me, and then it was..... horrible..."

My father rubbed my head, still hugging me. "I don't know. Maybe you went without your mother for so long, that the angel doesn't know how to stay even with the demon, and it just gave up when you got angry."

"Why couldn't Finny come and help?" I asked, letting go of him.

"Because someone had to help take care of the young master."

"That's not all."

"Because I didn't want him to see you this way."

"So you _knew_ this would happen?" I screamed in disbelief.

"Of course not. I meant I didn't want him to see you on the run, with blood soaking your dress and you screaming at everyone trying to help you." He stepped away from the doorway. "You're safe here for the time being."

I didn't move.

"It's getting late," Maria commented. "We can't keep traveling in the dark. Do you have anywhere in mind that we could stay the night?"

"I don't know what you guys are going to do," I said, standing, "but I'm going to find somewhere to sleep, then spend the night with my mom."

**

_"Mom, do_ _you_ _know what_ _happened_ _to me earlier?" I asked._ _I'd_ _explained what had happened between Maria and_ _I_ _when we were in the carriage. She'd listened intently without interrupting until_ _I_ _was finished._

_She was silent. She knew what was happening_ _to_ _me. I could feel it. She_ _just_ _didn't_ _want_ _to_ _tell me. She was silent because she was trying_ _to_ _think_ _if a lie_ _to_ _tell me._

_"Please, Mom,_ _don't_ _lie_ _to_ _me,"_ _I_ _pleaded._

_She sighed. "Spread your wings, Angel."_

_"What?"_

_"_ _Spread_ _your_ _wings_ _,_ _Angel_ _."_

_"What_ _do_ _my wings have to do with anything? Mom, what are you_ _not_ _telling me? Dad tried_ _to_ _figure it out, but_ _I_ _don't_ _believe what he said." I was on the verge if tears._

_"You want my honesty, correct"_

_I nodded._

_"Your wings could hold the key. Please, Angel. Spread your wings_ _and_ _I_ _will_ _be_ _honest with_ _you_ _. Your_ _wings_ _may confirm my suspicions."_

_I nodded again, closed my eyes, and spread my wings._

_My mother looked at my wings for a moment,_ _while_ _I_ _refused. Then she sighed._

_"I was correct." She turned away from me. "I have been away from you_ _for_ _too long. You are hardly my daughter anymore..."_

_"What are you...?" My sentence trailed off when_ _I_ _glanced over my shoulder at my demon_ _wing_ _._

_It was smaller and stretched out farther, more like a bird than an angel, as it had originally been shaped. My angel wing was no longer white, but_ _Gray_ _, and_ _growing_ _darker. It was shaped like the other one._

_All this had happened while_ _I'd_ _had that vision. That was the only time it had been possible._

_I_ _looked_ _back_ _to_ _my_ _mother_ _._

_"Mom,_ _what's_ _going_ _on?_ _Please_ _,_ _you_ _promised to be honest with me, and said your suspicions were right._ _What's_ _wrong with me?"_

_My mother walked up to me, but not close enough to trap me in her world. She smiled sadly._

_"Nothing is wrong with you, my precious girl."_

_"Mom, you_ _didn't_ _call me Angel..."_

_"_ _I_ _know_ _."_

_"_ _Why_ _?"_

_She_ _took_ _a deep breath. "Because the angel in you is dying, Selena. Soon you will become a full blooded demon..."_


	4. Chapter 4

I left my mother, and woke up screaming. I sat up, taking deep breaths, trying to calm my racing heart.

A moment later, my father and Maria were at my side, watching me worriedly. I didn't want to tell them what was going on, but Dad was a full blooded demon, so maybe he could think of a way to slow down the process of my angel's death.

"Dad?" I whispered. "Can I talk to you? Alone?"

As soon as my dad started to nod, Maria had vanished. I looked around and found her cleaning something metal and pointed. I glanced down at my slightly torn dress. She must have removed the bullets and bandaged me while I was asleep.

"What is it, Selena?" my father asked me once my gaze had fallen to my hands, which were clasped in my lap. "Why the scream? Did your mother do something to you?" He seemed sincerely worried.

"Sorta," I answered just as sincere. He was clearly not happy with that answer, by the way his arms folded and he sat back, as if waiting for an explanation.

"Mom told me what was wrong with me."

He sat there expectantly, waiting for me to continue. I took a deep breath.

"I had a flash back to the day Mom died, but it wasn't something I had done. I was watching the hunters as they drove off with her body. It was explaining to me why the lake was there. I was surrounded by smoke and flames, and the hunters had crashed carriages. The one that held Mom didn't get caught up in it."

Dad said nothing, but I thought I saw some relief in his eyes.

"Anyway," I continued, "The lake is there in remembrance of the hunters who died in the crash, because they protected their precious city from the monsters they all feared." I kinda choked up a little at that last bit.

My father put his arm around me, still silent.

"Mom said that half of me is dying, Dad," I cried quietly. "She said that soon my angel half will die completely, and I'll be a full blooded demon."

Dad still said nothing, probably because know he didn't know what to do. Even Maria couldn't help me now.

"I'm scared, Dad. What if I just die with my angel half? Then all this would be for nothing."

"I'm not certain, but," my father began, "saving your mother might save you."

"Then let's get to the U.S."

My father smiled. "It would be faster if you could fly us there, but I doubt you can carry us both."

"I don't know if I could last a whole boat ride..."

"Then I guess you either try to hang on or try to fly us over. I would, but my true form is beyond humans, and they would be horrified."

"A small part of me believes that Maria isn't exactly one hundred percent human," I admitted.

My dad's gaze traveled from me to Maria, and then back to me. He gave me a confused glance, then turned back to Maria. She was now digging through bags.

"Think about it," I told him. "She agreed not to tell anyone what I am when we first met, and has kept her promise. She allied with me when I told her the hunters would be after me for the rest of my life in an instant, she helped me with my wings, and now she's helping locate Mom. Either she's not human, or she's working for the hunters and luring me into a false sense of security, only to betray me in the end."

"Whatever she is," my father said, turning back to me, "she isn't a demon."

I'd figured that much out on my own.

I stood. My father backed away from me a little so I had room to stand and stay balanced.

"There's one more thing you should know if you want me to fly you over the ocean."

This caught Maria's attention, and looked to me, as if asking for permission to hear the next part, because it did involve her. I nodded, and she walked over to stand next to my dad.

I slowly unfolded my wings. Once they were fully extended, I heard Maria gasp, and saw my father's serious face as he studied the changes. I looked back at my once angelic wing, which was now a dark gray, and shaped more like a bird's than an angel's. My demon wing looked its part. It was an even deeper black than before, if that was at all possible. It was also shaped like a bird's wing.

I felt a sharp pain in my angel wing, and I cried out. Maria approached me, but I held out my hand to stop her. She stopped abruptly, watching me carefully, her face showing true concern.

I fell to my knees as the pain grew. I looked back at it and saw it slowly changing. The black was becoming deeper, only slightly, and the shape changed a little a well. I wanted to scream, but saw it was pointless to do so.

The pain slowly subsided, and I got to my feet. My dad approached and put his hands on my shoulders, staying his arm length away from me.

"Maybe we should take the boat," he said. "If you were to carry us both over the ocean, and this happen on the way, then you would drop us and we'd be goners."

"Dad, I'm becoming a demon. I don't know if I could control a true form if I developed one."

"I'll stay right by you the whole time. I won't let you hurt anyone." He moved the hair that was hanging in my face to behind my ear soothingly, and I smiled at him.

"Thanks," I said, suddenly exhausted.

Dad nodded, then hugged me. I hugged him back until I fell asleep in his arms.


	5. Chapter 5

I awoke in the back of the carriage, my wings folded back into place, and my head on Maria's lap. I didn't jerk away. My wings were hurting again. I groaned in pain and rolled over onto my side, keeping my eyes closed.

I felt Maria stroke my hair, as if to comfort me. It made me think of Mom, and I tried to imagine it was her that I was lying on instead of Maria. But of course every time I thought of my mother, the only thing that stuck with me was her words the last time we spoke. She told me that I was no longer her angel, and that was probably what hurt me the most.

Maria rested her hand on my head, and probably stared out the window. I wanted to sit up and talk to my dad, but he wouldn't want to hear it right now. Plus, Maria's hand, in a strange way, was comforting. It made me feel less alone, and I needed that.

I shifted until I was comfortable, then let myself drift back to sleep.

*

This time when I woke up, the carriage was no longer moving, and Maria was gently shaking me awake.

I opened my eyes and looked up at her. "We're at the docks," she said.

I nodded and sat up. Dad came around and opened the carriage door on my side and helped me out. He kept an arm around me as he held the door open for Maria, who climbed out and closed the door behind her.

We slowly made our way through the crowds of people, where I was scared to death that I would do something horrible to someone but luckily didn't, and over to the ship. My dad led us to our room, which looked like Dad had pulled some of his charm to get us three beds in one room.

They insisted that I take the bed in the middle, so that if something happens to me they can grab me from both sides. But I told them it was safer for me to stay farthest away from the door, so they had more time to grab me if need be. My father didn't argue, and said that was fine, but insisted that Maria take the bed closest to the door, so that if something happened, my father would see me first and tell her if she could look at me. Dad did tell me that true forms were beyond human comprehension, so I was guessing that was his reasoning.

I lay down on my assigned bed just as another pain grew in my used-to-be angel wing. I shuddered, even though it wasn't cold, and then groaned in pain quietly. I spread my wings and looked at them, horrified.

Both wings were now shaped like a bird's, and my angel wing was a slightly darker gray. I looked to my dad, on the verge of tears.

He didn't know what to do, I could see it in his eyes. He sincerely felt sorry for me, but didn't know how to comfort. I buried my face in my pillow and cried. I was dying, and there was nothing I could do at the moment to stop that process.

*

When the ship left the docks, Maria went to find some food, but I didn't think any of us there were actually hungry. I knew I wasn't, anyway.

I folded my wings and stood. I told my father I wanted to go get some fresh air and take a look at the ocean. He let me go, but of course stayed right beside me the whole time.

When we got to the deck of the ship, I almost gaped at how beautiful the ocean was. The water was a deep blue, and it sparkled in the sunlight. I wanted nothing more in that moment than to fly just above the water's surface, with my hand cutting into the water. I knew it was impossible, the way I was, but it would have been amazing.

I sighed, and my father must have heard it.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Just enjoying the beauty of the world while I still can," I replied.

My father turned me around to face him, holding me by my arms. His expression was serious, and I didn't know if I should be scared of him and trying to break free or holding his gaze. I decided it best to just keep looking at him the same way he was staring at me, so I did.

"Selena, listen," he said quietly so that other passengers wouldn't overhear. "I want you to stop thinking that you're dying. You told me that your mother said that the angel in you is dying, not all of you. Your mother hasn't been around to help you nurture and develop the angel part of you, and that's why it's dying off. You aren't going to die, Selena. You are just becoming a demon."

My eyes started to water, and I didn't know if it was because I was happy he was telling me I would live, or because I was scared of becoming a heartless creature that feasted off of the souls of the living.

But Dad wasn't heartless. He cared about me, Mom, and even Maria, who had finally gained his trust. Maybe being a demon like him wouldn't be so bad. I was positive that if I started to become who I wasn't, Dad would help me get back to being me.

Dad wiped a tear away that had fallen onto my cheek and hugged me tightly. I hugged him back and cried. Then I noticed I was getting stares from others, and decided to go back to our quarters.

Maria was there with all sorts of things. She had stuffed animals, candy, and sandwiches all laid out on her bed.

"I didn't know what you would be I the mood for," she said, "so I got plenty!" She smiled at me brightly.

I gave her a weak smile in return and looked down at the things littering her bed. I picked up a teddy bear about the size of my head, a small sandwich, and a chocolate bar.

"A sign that the angel in you is still living strong," my father whispered in my ear, "is that you picked up the teddy bear. A demon wouldn't even think about picking that up."

I smiled at him, because I knew he was right. The demon half of me was refusing the stuffed bear, but I still wanted it. I was still going to be half angel for a little while longer.

I sat on my bed and started to chow down on my sandwich, which I wasn't really in the mood for, and stared out the little window in our room. The sky was clear and blue and I could see pelicans flying around seagulls, like they were playing. I smiled at them.

I was expecting to see one of them dive to catch their dinner, or a pelican devour a seagull. Maybe that was why they looked like they were playing, because the seagulls were trying not to become a snack.

I wasn't expecting the window to creak open, then fall from its hinges and shatter on the ground. Nor was I expecting to see a figure in the window.

I screamed, but by the time my father looked over to see what had happened, the figure had vanished.

Then the boat started to lean to one side farther than usual, and someone screamed:

"ABANDON SHIP!!!"

The boat was sinking.


	6. Chapter 6

I instinctively spread my wings and jumped out of my bed, only to fall to the floor in pain. I clutched the stuffed bear in my hand with all my might, and tried to stand.

I felt my father fold my wings gently back into place and pick me up. Maria was right beside him, and the three of us left for the deck, Maria carrying our essential luggage.

When we reached the deck, the humans were in a panic. Everyone was scrambling for the lifeboats, and children were crying. I knew I would be fine, because my father would get us to safety, But Maria might have to take a lifeboat.

"Maria, take a lifeboat back to London and then catch another ship over to America," my father instructed. "I'll take Selena on over."

"But there is still at least 2,500 miles until you can even see America."

"We'll be fine," my father said reassuringly. "Once the lifeboats head back to shore, we'll go."

"Alright," Maria complied reluctantly. "Be safe..."

I gave her a weak smile, and she gave a worried smile back before running to catch a lifeboat.

*

About an hour later, the lifeboats were all almost out of sight, along with everyone. A couple of people had tried to get us on a lifeboat, but my father messed with their heads and they left us.

"Close your eyes, Selena, and don't open them until I say so."

I nodded, and closed my eyes. I felt us start to fly through the air, and I instantly knew everything would be okay.

*

"It's getting worse, isn't it, Mom?" I asked her reluctantly.

"I am afraid it is, Sweetheart," she replied.

"Is the only way to stop it really to find you?"

"Either save me or find another angel who can help."

"Where can I find another angel?"

"I am not sure," she admitted, "but there has to be one out there somewhere. Maybe someone in America can save you."

"I hope so, Mom."

*

I woke up, but kept my eyes closed, not certain if I could open them yet or not. I felt grass beneath me, and knew that we were at our destination.

"You can open them now."

I opened my eyes to see my father smiling at me.

"I guess your mother called for you?"

I nodded.

"What did she tell you this time?"

"That another angel might be able to help me."

Dad was quiet. Maybe he had already thought of that. Or maybe he wanted me to become a demon. But if I did, he wouldn't have anything left of Mom if we couldn't save her. What did he want? All I knew was that I wanted to be me again.

"Did she say where we could find another angel?" he asked.

I shook my head. "She said there were probably some in America, but not where specifically we could find them."

Dad nodded in understanding. He stood and walked over to me and helped me up.

"Perhaps we should search for this angel while we wait for Maria to arrive. She'll probably be here in a few weeks."

"Alright," I said, then grabbed my stuffed bear off the ground and followed my father into a huge city filled with people.

"Where are we?" I asked in awe. It looked nothing like London, and everyone was talking in a funny accent.

"I believe we are in Boston."

"Do you think there are any angels in this city?"

"There is a high possibility."

"Then let's start searching!"


	7. Chapter 7

We searched everywhere for an angel. We searched the streets, hotels, markets, and even houses. We finally gave up and sat down on a park bench. My wings were hurting, my head was killing me from trying to sense the presence of angels, and I was worn out. Ever since my angel half started to die, I'd been gradually becoming tired more frequently. I sighed, and let my head fall into my hands, with my elbows resting on my knees.

"Something the matter?" my father asked me curiously.

"Yes," I said, stating the obvious. "Half of me is dying, I can't walk very far without having to take a break, and I can't sense the presence of any angels." I gasped then, realization hitting me harder than a two ton boulder. I mumbled to myself.

"What was that?" my father asked, almost worriedly.

"I can't sense the presence of angels anymore." I waited for him to respond, but he didn't. I continued, "How are we supposed to find an angel to help me if I can't sense them?"

"I guess we can't, Selena," he said. "I'm sorry."

I sighed again. "It's not your fault, Dad," I said with a small smile.

"No, it is," he said, looking straight at me. "I was supposed to be helping you and your mother the day she was killed, but I didn't. I had decided to go up ahead and grab some supplies. If I hadn't left you two, I could have protected you and your mother and she would still be with us. We wouldn't be searching for an angel, we wouldn't be waiting for a human to arrive, and half of you would not be dying. It's my fault, Selena, and I sincerely apologize."

"Dad, none of us knew we were going to be attacked. There was no way for us to know. We knew we were at risk, but they were mainly after me. Mom wouldn't have died if I'd just stayed home that day, like you had told me to..."

"You remember that?" He sounded shocked.

"Like it happened yesterday," I answered. "You told me to stay home, where it was safe, and Mom had agreed. I thought I would be safer with you both, and told you that, mainly so that I could tag along and not be in a big house all by myself."

"You were five, Selena, it was expected that you wouldn't want to be home alone. That isn't your fault."

"But I fought with you over it. I'm sorry. I know it's a little late, but I am. I just-" My voice broke, and I started to sob quietly.

My father embraced me tightly, trying to comfort me. He was a demon, and didn't have many feelings or emotions, but he cared about me a lot, and I could tell easily.

"Your mother and I love you very much. We've never stopped for a second. Her death is not your fault because you were five and wanted to be with your mother. We should have just stayed home with you instead of going out like we had. Don't blame yourself, and I won't blame myself either, alright?"

I nodded, wiping my eyes. Dad was right. It wasn't my fault for being little. I wanted my mom, just like I do now.

"Glad I got that off my chest," I told him.

"Me too," Dad said with a smile.

"Maybe one of us should go pick up Maria, or else she may never get here." Maria had to ride the lifeboat back to the London docks, and wait for a new ship to bring her here, which would probably take at least one month.

"Maybe later," my father said. "At the moment, we should find somewhere for you to rest."

"I'm alright," I tried to assure him. But of course, as my luck would have it, I winced in pain as my wings started changing again.

My father gave me an uneasy look. "I don't believe you should be out in public right now, Selena. We need to get you away from all these humans."

I sighed. I knew he was right, but I didn't want to go inside. The breeze felt relaxing as it blew through my long black hair, and the American children's laughs were heartwarming. Those were angelic signs, right? I was still an angel deep down.

"Can we find somewhere with a large window?" I asked him, my eyes closed, head tilted to face the sun's rays.

"Of course," he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

I opened my eyes and stood, then grabbed my father's arm and let him lead me towards the exit to the park.

"Sebastian!" a familiar voice shouted. "Selena!"

I turned at the sound of my name and spotted the person who had yelled to us.

It was Maria, and running toward my father and I along side her, was Finny.


	8. Chapter 8

"Maria?" I asked, shocked. "Finny? How did you guys get here?"

Maria ran up to me and hugged me tightly. Finny hugged me as well, only much more gently. It still felt like he thought might break, but this time, his hands stayed away from my back.

_He_ _knows_ _._

I jerked away from him, surprising him and making my arm slam against my wing. I winced in pain.

He looked terrible and shocked, and worried and confused and apologetic all at the same time.

"Are you alright?" he asked me, placing his hand on my shoulder.

I nodded, then looked at him. Quietly, I said, "How much do you know?"

Finny looked guilty now. "Maria filled me in. The young master wanted me to come and try to help so that his butler could come home soon."

I glanced at Maria, and considered giving her a death glare. I decided against it. She had done nothing but help me so far, and I was sure she had thought that Finny knowing what was going on would help us as well.

"Maria," my father spoke up, "how did you get here?"

"Oh, we hitched a ride," she replied with a smile.

I noticed Finny give my dad an apologetic smile, and dad held his head in his hand and sighed.

Suddenly, a flash of bright red filled my vision, and I would have fallen backwards in surprise if Finny had not caught me. I smiled at him in thanks, then looked around to find what had caused the red flash.

I finally saw a person standing a few feet to the right of me. They had long red hair, a red coat, and red glasses with skulls on them. They also had a chainsaw, an that was when I realized this was a man. When he smiled, his teeth were long and pointed. He was tall, but not taller than my father, and his smile was starting to creep me out. Also, I thought I saw him making googly eyes at my father.

"Bassy!" he yelled, dropping his chainsaw and racing for my father. The stranger wrapped his arms around my dad and hugged him. "Oh, Bassy, it's been too long!"

My father sighed. "Grell, it has been less than a week..." he replied.

"I know!!!" Grell screamed. Then my father took his fist and punched Grell right in the face, sending him flying out of the park.

"Now, Selena isn't doing well at the moment. We were about to find a hotel or something. Are you two coming?" my father asked, looking at Finny, who was still holding onto my arm gently, and Maria.

"Of course we are," Maria said, smiling at my father.

Dad turned, grabbed my free arm, a gently took me away from Finny and picked me up. He carried me until we reached a hotel, then set me down before going in.

He easily booked us two rooms. One was for me and him, and the other was for Maria and Finny. My father's reasoning had been that he needed to be nearby in case I suddenly lost all of the angel left inside of me and went into a demon form. Maria agreed immediately, but Finny seemed a bit reluctant to leave me. I told him I would be fine. He nodded and went to his room with Maria.

Once my father and I were in our room and the door was closed, I immediately went over to the window and opened it. The breeze that blew into the room was cool and felt perfect, fitting in with the setting sun. We had a room with a forest view, so there were no people that could see into our room. Perfect.

I spread my wings slowly, with the windowsill in a death grip as I tried to deal with the pain. Once the cool air hit them, though, most of the pain left them, and I relaxed in the breeze, leaning against the wall.

My father walked over to me and started rubbing my should-be angel wing, helping to dismiss almost the rest of the pain that was there. I switched from leaning against the window frame to my father's welcoming arms, and fell asleep in his embrace.

*

I awoke the next morning in the bed by the window, which was still open. I was covered with a quilt and my head was lying on a soft pillow. I almost didn't want to sit up, but I knew I had to if I ever wanted to start searching for Mom.

I sat up and looked around. My father had left the room. He had probably went over to explain more to Finny or to talk strategy with Maria.

I stood and went out into the hallway, first making sure my wings were folded snuggly against my back. Once out of the room, I saw my father coming back toward me, with the red man clinging to him for dear life. I sighed, then face palmed.

"But Bassy, why are you going to see some girl when _I'm_ here? I'm prettier than _she_ is!" Grell complained, then noticed me staring at him. "Well, it's true," he said to me.

"Grell, stop," Dad said, calmly, trying to shake Grell off of him.

"Anything you say, Bassy!" Grell said.

"Dad, why is he back? He's really annoying."

Grell looked from me, to my father, then back to me, then back to my dad again. "'Dad'? Bassy, what is she talking about?"

Dad sighed. "Selena, I wish I could get rid of him, but he seems to follow me everywhere. And Grell, this is my daughter, Selena. I was going back to her room to check on her."

"'Daughter'?" Grell gaped.

"Yeah, now go away, Grell," I said, ignoring a growing pain in my wings.

"But Bassy, I was supposed to bear your children! When did _she_ happen?"

"About 16 years ago, Grell, now get off of me!" My father threw Grell out an open window in the hallway, closed it, then smiled at me. "Much better, right?"

I nodded tiredly. "Do we have a plan yet?"

"I was just coming back to bring you to Maria and Finny's room so we can discuss it. Shall we go?"

I nodded again, and let my father lead the way.


	9. Chapter 9

"So how is this going to work?" I asked once we were all settled on beds or in chairs. Finny and I were sitting on one bed, while my father was standing and Maria was in a desk chair with a piece of paper to map out our plan for rescuing my mother.

"We aren't entirely sure yet, I'm afraid," Maria admitted. "We know that we have to keep you out of sight from the scientists, but with what's happening to you, and the pain its causing, it will be harder to keep you out of sight and mind. We may have to leave you behind, if worse comes to worst."

"You can't leave me behind if I'm the only one Mom can communicate with!" I protested. "I need to be with you!"

"We have already thought of this. From the information that your mother has passed to you, and what out of that you have chosen to pass to us, we have come to the conclusion that your mother doesn't know where her body is, only the regional location. And from what we have observed," Maria continued, looking at the small paper in her hands, "you can only communicate with your mother while unconscious, which means if your mother calls you and you faint, one of us will have to carry you. I am thinking that it would be best for you to stay here with Finny, while your father and I look for your mother. You would be safer that way as well."

"What if they track me down here?" I asked, trying to find any hole in Maria's scientific reasoning. "Dad won't be here to help, and I can't fight them off or even fly away in my condition."

"Finny is here to help you," Maria said, gesturing toward him. "He's more capable for this job than he looks, I promise."

I looked over to my father, who had been standing by the wall silently. "Dad?"

He sighed. "I believe you will be safer here as well, and Maria and I will return every night to check in and ask if your mother came up with anything that would help us find her."

"What?" I asked. "Dad, I- I wanna help. I can't do that from here!" I was so close to crying that Finny had pity in his eyes, and I thought I saw him almost reach out to me.

My father walked over to me and put his hands on my shoulders. "You can help by staying here and safe, and making sure your mother doesn't need you in some crazy circumstance that would otherwise get you killed. This is a rescue mission, not suicide. Please, Selena. Stay here and safe for both me and your mother, alright?"

I felt my tears start to slowly fall down my face as I looked up at my father. He wiped my tears, and then I hugged him, crying into his stomach, because I was sitting on a bed. He hugged me back and smoothed my hair, then let go and walked toward the door.

"Maria," he said, "we'd better get started. Finny," he looked directly at Finny with the most seriousness in his expression that I had ever seen, "if anything happens to her, you will regret the day you became a Phantomhive gardener." And with that, he left the room, Maria trailing behind him.

"See you tonight," she said before closing the door behind her.

***

"Why wouldn't they let me go? This is my _mom_ we're searching for! Dad's in as much danger searching as I am!"

Finny was watching me rant without a word. I was pacing the room, he was sitting on a bed, watching me with sympathy.

"How am I suppose to tell them if mom finds out anything new while they're gone?" I asked. "If I can't tell them, then they could be out there searching for meaningless hours, not knowing anything about what's going on here, and Dad can't protect me if a hunter finds me here because he'll be too far away to know anything, and- ah!"

I stopped pacing and fell to my knees, feeling my wings changing again, but it felt more painful this time.

Finny was at my side in an instant. He picked me up gently and set me on a bed.

"I... I just want to know if Mom is alright." I spoke quietly, trying to hide the sadness in my voice. It was no good, because I started to cry anyway. I wasn't sure if it was because of physical or emotional pain, but it didn't matter at this point.

Finny held me gently while I cried, and I lay my head on his shoulder.

"I can't even fly us away from here if someone did find me. I guess I really am useless at this point. There's nothing else I can do to help."

"You keep believing," Finny said. "You believe that they're going to find your mother, and that keeps them going. You are your mother's voice, guiding them to her. You are not useless. Without you, this search wouldn't be possible."

I sat up and sniffed. "Really? All I did was get them started on this whole thing. They would be fine without me now."

"That could be true. But they would be looking blindly all over the country without you. You are helping by giving directions, and by being here to support the others, and they are here to support you."

I smiled at him, and wiped my tears from my face. "Thanks."

"No problem," he smiled.

My smile fell, and I cried out in pain as my wings shifted again, my head falling back onto Finny's shoulder.

And then before either of us could say anything, someone opened the door to our room. I jumped out of Finny's lap, thinking it was either my father or Maria or both, and only ended up hurting my wings even more. Finny put a hand on my shoulder, and started at the slowly opening door.

Once it was opened, a man stepped inside that looked familiar. It was not my father, and it wasn't anyone else from the Phantomhive manor. It was someone I had met while recuperating at Maria's after she fixed my wing.

"Hello there, little Selena," he said, pulling out his weapons. "It's been a while since I saw you. Wasn't it the day you kicked me out of my own home, and took me away from my wife and son?"

Finny put his arm out in front of me, blocking the man from me.

"Selena?" he asked. "Who is this man?"

"Maria's ex-husband."


	10. Chapter 10

Finny gave me a look of confusion. "Why would he be here? And why would he be after you?"

I shrugged. "He's one of those people that-"

The man, still standing by the door, cut me off. "I'll fill him in once your dead, alright? I'll make sure your boyfriend over there gets a full explanation."

"He's not my-"

"Does that really matter right now?" Finny asked. "Let him think what he wants, and then get rid of him."

"Finny, you can't get rid of him. He has weapons hidden under his coat." Then a thought occurred to me. "How did you get here, anyway?"

"I have my connections."

"Okay, is that the same reason you knew I would be here?"

He nodded.

"What would you do if Maria walked through the door right now?"

"Kill both of you and then walk away."

"What if it was my father?"

"I guess I would have to kill him first."

"I doubt you would be capable of that."

Finny interrupted the conversation. "Is this what went down last time he tried to kill you?"

I thought for a moment, then shook my head.

"Then why is it happening now?"

I shrugged.

Maria's ex pulled out his sword. It shined in the light, and was still stained with my blood from the last time we'd met.

Showing fear got me almost killed last time. I stood on the bed, Finny staring at me. I stared the man down, and he looked shocked by my sudden change.

"Playing tough won't save you."

"I'm aware." I said.

"Then why not just give up now?"

"Because there wouldn't be any fun in that." I was doing a pretty good job masking my fear, but I knew Finny could tell I was scared out of my mind. My hands and knees were shaking, and I knew I would be no match for the man in front of me in my condition; weak from fear and a dying half of me.

My wings started cramping and shaking in pain. Finny stood and forced me back onto the bed. I obeyed, only because I knew he was right to get me out of harms way.

The man laughed, then twirled his sword around is fingers. He saw I was in pain, and I'm sure he wanted to use that to his advantage.

I stood and walked over to the window. We were three stories up, and my wings were going through one of the worst spells they ever had. I looked over at Finny, who nodded slightly. I didn't want to leave him, but I had to find my father, and Finny could protect himself.

I smiled at him, then opened the window.

"You aren't going anywhere!" the man behind me roared.

I turned to face him. "Who said I was?"

Finny looked at me urgently. He wanted me to leave him. I shook my head. "Finny, I'm not leaving you here alone with him."

Finny looked disappointed. The man smirked.

"Well, you had your chance to escape and refused it, so...." he came lunging at me, and I jumped at the last second, causing him to crash into the wall. I grabbed Finny's hand and pulled him out of the room.

We ran back to my room, hopefully safe for a moment.

"Why didn't you leave?"

I looked over at Finny. He was worried I wouldn't survive this, or worried that I would die because of something he failed to do. He would've felt better if I had left, one less thing for him to worry about.

"I told you," I said, "I'm not leaving you here to die. We'll either escape together, or kill this loser."

Finny looked at me like I was an idiot.

"Plus, did you really think I would survive a three story drop when I can't so much as hover three inches off the ground? It was either fall to my death and leave you fighting, or try to get us both out alive. What choice do you think I should have gone with?"

Finny nodded, then put his finger to his lips. He nodded to me. The man was coming.

"Let me try something. If it doesn't work, we're dead, and if it does, we're saved."

Finny nodded, and I walked over and opened the window.

"Dad!" I screamed. "Maria! Help!"

***

3rd person POV:

"Thank you very much for sharing your discoveries," Maria said to the female scientist. The woman nodded, and closed the door, leaving Maria outside.

"Sebastian?" Maria called.

The demon butler stepped out from behind a thick trunked tree, frowning. "They had nothing in their lab that could have in any way been associated with Angelica."

"I see. Well then, on to the next one?"

Sebastian was about to respond when he heard the faintest cry for help.

"Dad! Maria! Help!"

"What is it?" Maria asked, slowly approaching him, fearing the worst.

Sebastian turned to her, fear and urgency clear on his face.

"Selena is in danger."

***

Selena's POV:

I grabbed the small stuffed bear from my bed and sat down on the floor, hugging it. All we could do now was wait. Either Dad and Maria would find us, or the mad scientist would.

I heard the doorknob jiggle and I got to my feet behind Finny. Once it opened, the scientist stepped through, smirking.

"You really shouldn't have yelled like that," he said. "It gave you away."

I set the bear down gently on the bed, then grabbed a knife from what Maria had probably brought over for her to have for breakfast that morning. I lunged at the man by the door. But then I dropped at his feet, falling to the floor in pain.

Finny knew what was wrong immediately, but the scientist had no clue why I was screaming in pain when he hadn't laid a finger on me.

"Ha... ha.. hahahahaha! You can't even stand to fight me? Come on, your pathetic!"

I took deep breaths, tried anything I could think of to try to ease the pain in my wings. Well, anything I could do from the floor with a thirty something year old man towering over me, and Finny standing behind me, not sure what exactly to do.

I looked up at the man, and almost cut the back of my head on his sword.

"Let's see those pretty wings once more before I chop them clean off," he laughed, then took his sword and started cutting the back of my dress.

"Please, stop..." I whispered, but no one heard me. I couldn't do anything but lay on the floor and pray for my father to return.

Once both my wings were visible, and I knew they were, I looked up at him, his face gone from mindless killer to concerned scientist.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Like I should tell you," I said, trying to stand.

The man backed away and Finny rushed over and helped me up and onto a bed. I screamed in pain again, and Finny kept his arms around me.

"Don't stand there pitying me," I said through tears to the man before me. "If you want to kill me, do it now while I can't fight back. Ahh!" I hunched over in pain again. "I'm already dying anyway."

The scientist was frozen in shock. He put his sword back into his lab coat a few moments later, and that didn't surprise me.

"Selena, don't give him permission to kill you..." Finny said, saddened and surprised.

"It's okay, Finny, he won't do it."

"And how do you know that?" The man asked.

"I saw you hesitate the first time. You know what you're doing is wrong. You don't want to kill me. You pity me. But I don't want your pity. If you are going to continue hunting me down every time you think you have built up enough strength to kill a living being, then either stop coming or kill me now. It's your choice, and I won't stop you from doing either."

The man thought a moment, then redrew his sword. He held it out in front of him, and I took a deep breath.

Finny's arms were still wrapped around me protectively. I pulled away from him, and told him not to interfere.

The scientist pointed the sword at me, took a deep breath, and starting moving closer. He pulled back, and lunged at me, his sword swerving down at the last moment.

The sword went straight through my stomach. I screamed in pain, Finny screamed in terror, and the man pulled the sword out of me slowly, causing me even more excruciating pain.

Just as the sword was almost fully out of my body, I fell back onto the bed, my head landing in Finny's lap.

Finny had tears streaming down his cheeks. I wiped some of them away with the little strength I had left, then I turned my head to the man holding his bloody sword. He was smiling in triumph, but had tears in his eyes.

"You... hesitated..." I whispered to him, then slowly drifted toward unconsciousness.

The last thing I heard was the door open, Maria's scream, and my father run over to me, screaming my name.


	11. Chapter 11

_"Why am_ _I_ _not_ _surprised_ _to be back in this place?"_

_I looked_ _over_ _at_ _my_ _mother, now even farther away than_ _before_ _. The gray light behind her_ _seemed_ _brighter, warm, inviting._

_"Selena," my_ _mother_ _said, and_ _I_ _noticed the tears rolling down her face. "Why did you let him do this to you? Why did you not fight back?"_

_"Because_ _I'm_ _done fighting,"_ _I_ _replied firmly. "Look at me!_ _I'm_ _pathetic! I_ _don't_ _know what to do with myself anymore! Everything would he fine if_ _I_ _hadn't_ _insisted on going with you that day ten_ _years_ _ago. If_ _I_ _hadn't_ _left home when Dad had told me not to. Now that_ _I_ _can't_ _take those back..."_ _I_ _sat on the ground; or at least, what would have_ _been_ _the ground if we_ _hadn't_ _been floating; and held my head in my hands. "Now_ _I'm_ _better off dead, and out of_ _everyone's_ _way."_

_"Selena," my mother said softly, and_ _I_ _could hear the sadness in her voice. She took a few steps forward. "Do not let yourself think such horrible things. Your father, Maria, and Finnian all love you dearly. As do_ _I_ _, but you belong on Earth. And alive."_

_"What can_ _I_ _do while alive besides be a burden to everyone?" I asked, lifting my head_ _to_ _look my mother in the eyes._ _I'm_ _constantly in pain, and always need_ _to_ _be_ _protected_ _!_ _I'm_ _sixteen! I should of mire help than this!"_

_"Under certain circumstances, you are_ _not_ _an ordinary teenage girl. You are very special. And special people,_ _I_ _believe_ _, tend_ _to_ _have harder lives_ _than_ _others. Please, child. Do not give up yet."_

_Mims voice_ _cracked_ _at the end of her small speech,_ _and_ _she suddenly broke down sobbing._

_I'd_ _never seen my mother cry like this. She was always full of smiles. My first instinct was to hug her, but_ _I_ _couldn't. I_ _couldn't_ _get_ _trapped here. I had_ _something_ _else in mind._

_I stood, taking a few steps toward her. She looked up from her hands_ _and_ _looked_ _at me like_ _I_ _was insane. "What are you doing, sweetheart? You will be trapped here."_

_"_ _I'm_ _not_ _walking to you, Mom,"_ _I_ _replied, tears beginning to wet my cheeks. "I told you:_ _I've_ _had_ _enough."_

_She was up in a heartbeat. "Selena, please! Reconsider this! If you go there, you cannot escape! You will be_ _there_ _forever!"_

_"I know,"_ _I_ _answered_ _through a broken voice._

_"Sweetheart, you are_ _crying_ _. You do not want this,_ _I_ _can_ _tell_ _."_

_I stopped walking. "I may_ _not_ _want_ _this, but_ _it's_ _better_ _for_ _everyone_ _else this way."_

_"Angel, you are_ _just_ _depressed. Leave this world, go back to the living. Enjoy the remainder of your life. For both of us."_

_I continued forward. "Dad will find you. Live for yourself."_

_"NO!"_ _she_ _screamed at me. "I_ _won't_ _let you do this to yourself!"_

_And with a wave of her hands, the world faded, along with the light that had seemed to be drawing me in,_ _and_ _my mother, looking sadder_ _than_ _ever._

_***_

I dreamt of my childhood. Playing with my parents, my mother grooming my wings, her death, finding my father after her death, and playing only with him a few months later. It felt like the real thing, but I knew it was only a dream.

I didn't want to wake up. I had wanted to never wake up again. Did my mother have some control over the world she was trapped in if she was able to cast me out with a wave of her hand? I didn't know, and I didn't want to find out.

I awoke with my eyes still closed to a horrible pain in my stomach and back. I was lying on a bed, but it felt like my head was in someone's lap. They were stroking my cheek, lovingly.

I could hear Maria crying, and someone else holding my hand. They all thought I was going to die, like I had wished. It pained me to hear them so upset. I squeezed the hand that was holding mine, and felt gloves on it.

 _Dad_ _,_ I thought, tears filling my closed eyes.

I heard him sigh, and Maria stop crying long enough to ask what was going on. The hand on my cheek stopped stroking it, and rested itself on the bed.

"Sebastian?" Finny asked, his voice coming from above my head.

My father said nothing, only squeezed my hand in return. I gave a small smile as a tear escaped my closed right eye, and everyone in the room sighed in joy and relief.

 _They_ _care_ _this_ _much_ _?_ I had thought they would be fine without me, but I guess I had been wrong. _At_ _least_ _I've_ _found_ _one_ _reason_ _to_ _continue_ _living_ _,_ I thought with an inward smile.

***

I slept off and on for what felt like forever, and never once opened my eyes once I woke up, in fear that someone would be ecstatic about me waking and hug me to death while my wound was still fresh. The entire time I slept, I had crazy dreams, about my father, my mother, Finny, Maria, her ex husband, and even Ciel was in a few. I didn't understand why, but they happened. And they were so horrible, I remembered Finny's gentle yet urgent hands shaking me until I awoke and calmed down.

My father and Maria, from what I had overheard, had continued their search for my mother, and had gathered nothing except for the places that she isn't, which I guess helps a little, if you think about it.

On the day I decided to open my eyes, I made sure Finny was the only one in the room. It sounded, and felt, like he was lying next to me, flipping through a book.

I opened my eyes, and was hit with a wave of blinding light. I closed my eyes again quickly, and my right hand automatically covered my eyes.

I heard myself groan, Finny throw the book away from him, and sit up next to me. I pulled my hand away from my face and slitted my eyes open. Gradually, the light became more bearable, and I put my hand by my side and looked over at Finny, who was beaming.

"Glad to see you," Finny said happily.

"You too," I replied with a smile. "How long has it been?"

Finny thought for a moment. "Five days, considering its almost dusk."

I blinked. Five days? Really? It felt like much longer than that, but i was glad it wasn't longer, or else they might have given up on me.

"Help me sit up?" I asked.

"It might reopen your wound."

"Yeah, you're right." I yawned. "Maybe I should just go back to sleep."

"Alright," Finny said, almost with a sad smile. I thought he wanted to talk to me more, but he didn't want to force me to if I was tired.

I closed my eyes and tried to go back to sleep. But I was so rested already, I didn't really want to.

Just as I felt myself drifting off maybe half an hour later, the door to the room opened. I woke back up, but kept my eyes closed.

Finny moved slightly, like he had jerked his head from me to the door.

"Quiet," he told them, who I assumed were Maria and my father.

"Anything?" Maria asked hopefully.

"She woke up," Finny said quietly, stroking my head lightly with one finger, as if he didn't want anyone else to notice.

Maria gave a muffled squeal, while my father sighed in relief. I heard footsteps, and then felt Dad holding my hand gently, happily.

"Then why is she asleep again?" asked another voice. A voice that sent chills down my spine. A voice that made me open my eyes and sit up. A voice that was worth having a few wounds reopened if I could figure out why it was there in the first place.

As I sat up, I ignored the pain in my stomach as the wound practically ripped itself back opened and I asked, pointing, weak and scared, at Maria's ex husband:

"What is _he_ doing here?"


	12. Chapter 12

I stared at Maria's ex husband until my eyes felt dry, then blinked and turned my head. I didn't notice until Finny's hand rested in my shoulder that I was taking short, quick breaths. I breathed in deeply, but couldn't calm my racing heart.

"Did you think we would let the man that was trying to kill you get away once we were able to finally catch him?" Maria asked, not once looking at the man. Her arms were folded across her chest, and she was leaning against the door.

"But Finny said its been five days. Shouldn't you have done something with him by now?"

"We have been," Maria said, straightening herself. "We took him with us to search for your mother. It made me less suspicious to the other scientists who didn't know about our breakup."

"So why are you hanging onto him? He could beat you back in here and finish me off. I thought he would be gone when I woke up..." I whispered the last part, fear creeping up to me. Then I added quietly, "If I woke up."

Maria and her ex didn't seem to have heard me, but Dad and Finny were close enough to hear, and they both frowned.

"We wanted to hear your side of the story before we did anything, if you can remember," my father said.

How could I forget? I told a man to kill me, then almost committed suicide in front of my mother. Should I tell them everything?

"The only reason Finny is still here is because of what he told us," my father added. "If your story doesn't match, he's doomed."

I smiled a little, my heartbeat starting to return to normal. My father was just trying to be protective, but I knew he would never hurt anyone I cared about. I learned that when he spared Maria that night I was attacked by other scientists and locked myself in the bathroom.

I sighed, then looked at my father with tearful eyes. "I told him to kill me," I said, then glanced down at my hands. "I told him I wasn't going to stop him."

"Why would you do that?" Maria asked, her sadness unmistakable in her voice.

"Because," I said, looking at her. "Because I was tired of everything. I was tired of running and hiding, of hurting, of not being able to defend my self." My voice broke. "Of being in everyone's way..."

Finny's grip on my shoulder tightened, Dad grabbed my hand, and Maria walked closer to us, but stayed close to the door.

Dad opened his mouth to speak, but I interrupted. I didn't want to hear him say I wasn't in everyone's way, so I changed the subject.

"I saw Mom, in that world. While I was out..."

"And?" My father asked.

"Nothing about her body, sorry. I was just sent there. Then I tried to die there, too..."

"Selena..." my father said sadly.

"She was able to stop me somehow. With a wave of her hand, I was back into this world, dreaming, remembering the past."

"I'm glad she did." Maria said.

I opened my mouth to reply, but instead I cried out in pain. I looked down at my stomach to see a blood spot on my dress, larger than my head.

Everyone around me sprang into action. My father had Finny gently force me back into a laying position on the bed, then he grabbed Finny's arm and both of them left the room. Maria shoved her ex husband out to join them before rushing over to me, somehow already holding bandages.

Maria removed my dress and underdress, and rewrapped my wound. She then grabbed new dresses, which I assumed she and my father had bought for me, because I had none at the time, and helped me back into them. The dress was white, to reflect heat. Then Maria gave me my stuffed bear, and I lay back down on the bed.

Maria opened the door and told the boys they could come back in, and Finny retook his place sitting on the bed beside me. My father stood beside me, Maria's ex in a chair on the opposite side of the room, and Maria by the door, keeping her ex from making a run for it.

Maria then looked over at her ex and walked up to him in rage. "Do you see what you did to her!? You've tried to kill her three times now!"

"He hesitated," I said quietly.

"Don't you feel shame?! You can't go around killing people, even if they aren't human!!"

"He stopped," I said.

"And _furthermore_ _-_ _"_

_"_ _Maria_ _!"_

They all looked at me. I had sat up, and was exhausted, sweaty, weak, and trembling in pain. I put my arms to my wound. It hurt even more to yell.

"Selena, lie dow-"

"No! Hear me out."

My father looked at me with concern. I did my best to ignore it.

"He hesitated." I repeated. "He was going to stab me, kill me then, like I wanted him to. But at the last moment, he hesitated, and delivered a not-fatal blow to my stomach."

Everyone looked over at him. Everyone except for me. I kept my head down, watching the people I cared about out the corners of my eyes.

"Why did you not kill me?" I asked.

He stood, and my father stood in front of me, Finny put his arms around me protectively, and Maria I couldn't see.

"I decided that I would let you suffer a little while longer," he said. "I'll be watching your misery from afar, and that will be enough to keep me happy."

Dad was behind the man in an instant. He grabbed the man's arms and shoved them behind his back.

The man lowered his head, his mouth digging around in his lab coat.

"Da-"

I was cut off by the man producing a small tube in his mouth, which must have been inside a secret pocket.

He threw the little tube at me via his mouth, and time seemed to be moving in slow motion. I saw my father rushing toward me, but the tube got to me first. Before it hit me, it turned into a shiny silver dagger that looked like it could be hollow. The blade of the dagger hit my left shoulder, just above where my heart was beating a million times a minute.

I could feel something running from the dagger to my veins, and it didn't feel good. I felt myself becoming weaker, more tired, and in more pain in my wings and my stomach.

"Try removing that poison now without the proper equipment," said the man, but I didn't see him in the room. He had disappeared faster than my mother had been able to fly.

Finny was holding me up, and probably felt me trembling. Maria was at my side in an instant, carefully removing the dagger from my shoulder.

"Sebastian, please, get me my bag. I might..."

I didn't hear what she said next, because I became lightheaded and dizzy, and passed out in Finny's arms.


	13. Chapter 13

_Creatures_ _were_ _everywhere_ _._ _Humans_ _,_ _demons_ _,_ _angels_ _,_ _reapers_ _,_ _all_ _of_ _them_ _._ _They_ _all_ _seemed_ _to_ _be_ _searching_ _for_ _something_ _,_ _but_ _I_ _couldn't_ _tell_ _what_ _it_ _was_ _._

_"_ _Excuse_ _me_ _,"_ _said_ _an_ _elderly_ _woman_ _._ _Her_ _hair_ _was_ _a_ _light_ _gray_ _,_ _her_ _dress_ _white_ _._ _Her_ _face_ _,_ _though_ _slightly_ _wrinkled_ _with_ _age_ _,_ _was_ _nearly_ _flawless_ _._ _I_ _guessed_ _she_ _was_ _an_ _angel_ _,_ _maybe_ _half_ _._

_"_ _Yes_ _?"_ _I_ _asked_ _her_ _,_ _my_ _voice_ _sounding_ _thick_ _and_ _foreign_ _._

_"_ _Have_ _you_ _seen_ _a_ _child_ _,_ _about_ _this_ _big_ _,_ _with_ _pitch_ _black_ _hair_ _and_ _different_ _colored_ _wings_ _?"_ _She_ _held_ _her_ _hand_ _at_ _about_ _the_ _center_ _of_ _her_ _thigh_ _,_ _indicating_ _the height_ _of_ _the_ _child_ _she_ _was_ _looking_ _for_ _._ _As_ _I_ _looked_ _closer_ _at_ _the_ _woman_ _,_ _I_ _noticed_ _that_ _she_ _looked_ _familiar_ _to_ _me_ _,_ _but_ _I_ _didn't_ _know_ _why_ _._

Is she after me? _I_ _thought_ _._ But I'm way taller than that.

_Sudden_ _ly,_ _the_ _woman_ _looked_ _confused_ _. "_ _Where_ _did_ _she_ _go_ _?_ _Am_ _I_ _talking_ _to_ _people_ _that_ _aren't_ _there_ _again_ _?_ _I_ _must_ _be_ _losing_ _it_ _faster_ _than_ _I_ _expected_ _..."_ _She_ _continued_ _muttering_ _to_ _herself_ _as_ _she_ _walked_ _toward_ _......_ _and_ _through_ _me_ _._

_I_ _looked_ _down_ _at_ _myself_ _._ _I_ _looked_ _solid_ _enough_ _to_ _me_ _._ _I_ _wondered_ _if_ _I_ _had_ _just_ _imagined_ _it_ _,_ _but_ _it_ _had_ _felt_ _so_ _real_ _._

_"_ _Selena_ _,_ _hurry_ _._ _We_ _must_ _not_ _miss_ _the_ _beginning_ _of_ _the_ _play_ _."_

_I_ _turned_ _to_ _see_ _my_ _mother_ _,_ _holding_ _the_ _hand_ _of_ _a_ _mini_ _me_ _,_ _who_ _was_ _short_ _,_ _and_ _probably_ _about_ _four_ _years_ _old_ _._

_I_ _gasped_ _as_ _my_ _mother_ _from_ _the_ _past_ _glanced_ _up_ _and_ _looked_ _straight_ _at_ _me_ _._ _She_ _smiled_ _,_ _and_ _time_ _seemed_ _to_ _freeze_ _for_ _everyone_ _except_ _for_ _me_ _and_ _her_ _._ _Probably_ _because_ _it_ _literally_ _had._

_The_ _little_ _Selena's_ _mother_ _let_ _go_ _of_ _mini_ _-_ _me_ _'_ _s_ _hand_ _and_ _walked_ _over_ _to_ _me_ _._ _She_ _hugged_ _me_ _tightly_ _._

_"_ _Mom_ _,"_ _I_ _said_ _,_ _afraid_ _to_ _hug_ _her_ _back_ _. "_ _You_ _said_ _that-"_

_"_ _I_ _know_ _,_ _but_ _this_ _is_ _your_ _dream_ _. I am_ _sorry_ _for_ _invading_ _,_ _but_ _I_ _can_ _hug_ _me_ _daughter_ _in_ _this_ _world_ _._ _I_ _was not_ _going_ _to_ _pass_ _up_ _that_ _opportunity_ _."_

_"_ _And_ _..."_ _I_ _didn't_ _finish_ _,_ _but_ _Mom_ _knew_ _what_ _I_ _wanted_ _to_ _know_ _._

_"_ _And_ _you_ _can_ _hug_ _me_ _here_ _,_ _and_ _you_ _will_ _not_ _be_ _trapped_ _._ _I_ _swear_ _it_ _."_

_I_ _felt_ _tears_ _in_ _my_ _eyes_ _._ _I_ _hugged_ _my_ _mother_ _back_ _,_ _tighter_ _I_ _thought_ _than_ _she_ _had_ _ever_ _held_ _me_ _._

_"_ _Why_ _didn't_ _you_ _do_ _this_ _before_ _?"_ _I_ _asked_ _her_ _through_ _tears_ _._

_"_ _Because_ _you_ _were_ _not_ _having_ _dreams_ _worth_ _remembering_ _once_ _awake_ _._ _Either_ _that_ _or_ _you_ _were_ _angry_ _with_ _me_ _."_ _Mother_ _looked_ _saddened_ _by_ _the_ _thought_ _of_ _me_ _being_ _mad_ _at_ _her_ _. "_ _I_ _was_ _only_ _trying_ _to_ _protect_ _you_ _,_ _Selena_ _."_

_"_ _I_ _know_ _,_ _I_ _just_ _wasn't_ _myself_ _."_

_"_ _Alright_ _then_ _._ _Now_ _,_ _there_ _is_ _another_ _reason_ _I_ _chose_ _this_ _dream_ _. It is_ _of_ _a_ _memory_ _you_ _had_ _suppressed._ _This_ _is_ _the_ _day_ _before_ _the_ _incident_ _,_ _ten_ _years_ _ago_ _."_

" _Why_ _would_ _I_ _suppress_ _this_ _memory_ _and_ _not_ _the_ _o_ _ne_ _of_ _your_ _death_ _?"_

_"_ _I_ _am_ _certain_ _you_ _will_ _find_ _out_ _momentarily_ _."_ _Mother_ _snapped_ _her_ _fingers_ _,_ _and_ _another_ _her_ _appeared_ _,_ _holding_ _mini_ _me_ _by_ _the_ _hand_ _._ _I_ _watched_ _as_ _they_ _both_ _hurried_ _through_ _the_ _crowd_ _of_ _people_ _._

_"_ _Mommy_ _,_ _what_ _play_ _are_ _we_ _seeing_ _?"_ _little_ _me_ _asked_ _._

_"_ _You_ _will_ _find_ _out_ _soon_ _enough_ _._ _It_ _is_ _a_ _surprise_ _,"_ _little_ _me'_ _s_ _mother_ _smiled_ _._

_Little_ _me_ _sighed_ _,_ _and_ _her_ _mother_ _laughed_ _._

_Mom_ _and_ _I_ _followed_ _them_ _to_ _a_ _stage_ _set_ _up_ _outside_ _a_ _large_ _building_ _I_ _didn't_ _recognize_ _._ _But_ _I_ _did_ _automatically_ _recognize_ _my_ _father's_ _face_ _on_ _stage_ _._

_We_ _watched_ _the_ _play_ _._ _It_ _was_ _about_ _a_ _little_ _boy_ _and_ _his_ _father_ _,_ _who_ _were_ _trying_ _to_ _save_ _the_ _boy's_ _sister_ _from_ _evil_ _._ _I_ _watched_ _little_ _me_ _laugh_ _with_ _delight_ _at_ _seeing_ _her_ _father_ _be_ _a_ _clumsy_ _and_ _silly_ _father_ _on_ _stage_ _._

_Once_ _the_ _show_ _ended_ _,_ _little_ _me_ _ran_ _up_ _to_ _the_ _stage_ _and_ _waited_ _for_ _her_ _father_ _to_ _come_ _down_ _and_ _give_ _her_ _a_ _hug_ _._

_Her_ _father_ _walked_ _right_ _past_ _her_ _and_ _straight_ _to_ _her_ _mother_ _,_ _a_ _serious_ _expression_ _o_ _n_ _his_ _face_ _._ _He_ _started_ _talking_ _to_ _his_ _wife_ _quietly_ _,_ _and_ _then_ _the_ _people_ _in_ _the_ _scene_ _started_ _fading_ _away_ _._

_"_ _Selena_ _, I am_ _afraid_ _you_ _are_ _waking_ _up_ _now_ _,_ _so_ _I_ _have_ _to_ _say_ _goodbye_ _for_ _now_ _._ _I will_ _hold_ _this_ _dream_ _where_ _it_ _is_ _,_ _and_ _I_ _will_ _let_ _you_ _see_ _the_ _rest_ _next_ _time_ _you_ _dream._ _And_ _I_ _do not_ _want_ _to_ _see_ _you_ _before_ _then_ _."_ _She_ _said_ _the_ _last_ _part_ _while_ _smiling_ _._ _I_ _smiled_ _back_ _,_ _said_ _goodbye_ _,_ _and_ _let_ _consciousness_ _take_ _me_ _away_ _._

***

I awoke to Maria's smiling, teary-eyed face. She sighed in relief, then sat back and wiped sweat from her forehead. I looked up and saw Finny smiling down at me, and I smiled back.

I slowly sat up and saw my father, who was smiling at me from across the room. He walked over and hugged me tight. I hugged him back, and heard him whisper in my ear. "Please, stop scaring me like this. I don't want to lose you as well."

It almost sounded like he had been crying for me.

I held on to him tighter. "I'm sorry, Dad. I'm sorry I'm useless and can't defend myself from anything, and that I'm in your way. I'm sorry I'm a burden and slow you down. I'll try to be a better demon than what I was as a half."

I thought I heard him sigh. "You're none of those things, Selena. And we will find a way to return you to normal. I'm so glad you're alright."

"Me too," I said, then leaned my head on his shoulder. He held me until Maria informed him that they should continue searching, and then said goodbye. I waved as he walked out the door.

Once the door closed, I lay back on the bed with a sigh. Finny sat next to me, half smiling.

"What?" I asked him.

"How many times are you going to try to die?"

I sat up and gaped at him. "I've only tried to die once so far, so once. I'm sorry that everyone is after me. I-"

Finny stood and walked in front of me. He turned and faced me, fully smiling. "I was just kidding."

I crossed my arms and looked away from him. "Good."

He laughed and sat right next to me. He hugged me gently, and I almost melted into his embrace. "Don't scare me like that, either. If something happened to you, I don't know what I would do."

"Finny..." I said, trying to look at him. I couldn't see his face because of the way he held me, but from the dampness I felt on my shoulder, I knew he was silently crying. I felt my eyes fill with tears as I hugged him back, holding on like my life depended on it. "I'm sorry."


	14. Chapter 14

I decided to sleep as I waited for my father and Maria to return while Finny stayed awake to watch for trouble. I dreamed of darkness consuming everything. The dream changed to my mother and father and Maria, all pointing guns at me. They all shot.

I awoke with a start before the bullets hit me, then gasped in pain as it returned to my wings. Finny looked over at me worriedly, and was about to move toward me. I shook my head. There was nothing he could do.

I stretched my wings. My once angelic wing was nearly pitch black like my demonic one. The shape was still changing. I didn't have much time left. I didn't know how to nurture my angelic half on my own. I was the only one of my kind that I knew of. Not many demons decide they want to marry an angel, and if they do, one gene usually dominates the other. That's why I'm such a rare creature.

I frowned at the sight of my once beautiful wings. Dad really needed to hurry. I had no way of knowing how much time I had left before I became a demon forever.

There was a knock on the door. Finny sprang up to answer it, and I folded my wings back into hiding a little too quickly. I winced while Finny wasn't looking, then turned my back to the wall to help hide my wings better.

Before Finny could get to the door, it burst open, startling me and Finny. The reaper known as Grell strutted through the open door.

"Bassy!" he called, looking around the room. His gaze paused momentarily at Finny, then fell on me.

"Where's your daddy?" Grell asked, trying to be sweet but sounding like a dying puppy.

"Not here," I replied, crossing my arms.

Grell huffed, then stormed over to the side of my bed, grabbed the collar of my dress, and lifted me, my eyes level with his.

"Look Missy," he shouted angrily. "You tell me where my Bassy is or you'll have a hole in you!"

"It wouldn't be the first time..." I muttered.

Outraged, Grell shook me, and I groaned in pain as my wings were rattled. Finny was at Grell's side in an instant.

"Put her down!" he screamed at Grell.

Grell shrugged and let go of my dress, letting me fall to the floor. He kicked me in the stomach, then headed for the door. "Tell Bassy I was here, and that I want to see him soon."

"Yeah," I replied, pushing myself up from the floor. "I'll tell him as soon as you admit you're a man."

Grell gasped, spinning to face me. "You take that back!"

I grabbed the bed and pulled myself up. Shaking my head to Grell, I let Finny gently force me to sit on the bed. "And wait until he finds out what you just did to me. Of course, knowing my dad, he's probably on his way to check on me right now."

Grell, looking panicked, stepped back and out of the room. "He'll just think you're a couple of liars." Grell said.

"I'm part angel," I countered. "I can't lie."

Grell turned to run from the room, but something made him stop before he could even get moving.

"What exactly happened, Grell?" I heard my father ask from the hallway.

"Bassy!" Grell squealed, latching onto my father. Dad sighed and walked into the room and opened the window, from where he easily broke free from Grell's death grip and threw him out the window. I cheered as Dad closed the window, then looked over at me, smiling.

"What happened? Are you alright?" Dad asked, walking toward me.

Finny opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. "Yeah, I'm fine." I said, but the lie was obvious. The pain in my voice was as clear as day.

My dad sat on the bed next to me, and the shift in the mattress made me hold my stomach.

Dad frowned. "I'll have Maria check on you once she gets back."

"She isn't with you?" I asked, suddenly worried.

"I felt there was something wrong, and told her I was going ahead to make sure you were alright. She said she'd be right behind me."

I nodded. Dad's fatherly instincts had grown in the two years we were apart. He could sense my presence and if I was in danger. I leaned over and hugged him, despite my stomach and wings protests. "Thanks for caring, Dad."

I couldn't see his face, but it felt like he tensed a little. "Why would I not?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. It felt like we grew distant after Mom was killed. And once you left, I thought you might just go ahead and forget about me."

"I think we did become distant, but that was only because of how close you were to your mother," he said, hugging me back. "I never forgot about you. You're the reason I keep living."

I smiled. Dad and my friends were the reasons Mom had convinced me to keep living. She was right. They needed me, just like I need them.

Pulling back, Dad said, "I better go look for Maria. Who knows where she is."

"Okay." And with that, Dad left.

Finny approached me. He looked concerned, but also like he knew I was going to be fine.

"Finny, promise me something."

He looked at me, his face turning serious. "What?"

"If I go full demon, never come near me again."

Finny's mouth fell open to the ground. "What?! How can you tell me to promise you that? I.... care about you."

"And I care about you, too." I said, trying to explain. "Most demons don't have any emotions. I might become some emotionless zombie and hurt you if you approach. I don't want to do that. And I don't want you to see me in a true form that I won't know how to control."

"But..."

"Finny, this is because I care about you. I don't want to hurt you."

Finny stared at me. He was filled with sadness. I hated seeing it, but I had to. He sat next to me on the bed ad hugged me. I turned to hug him back, and felt his lips on mine for an instant, before he pulled away.

"Okay," he said. "Only if you promise that you won't go full demon."

I blinked, not knowing what to do. He'd _kissed_ me, even if only for a quick second. He was blushing slightly, and trying to act like nothing had happened. I smiled at him, then followed his lead, playing dumb. We could talk about it later. "I can only promise you that I will put it off for as long as I can. My only chance is to find either Mom or another angel. The only problem is, Dad and I already searched this entire city for anyone who might be an angel, but couldn't find anyone. My ability to sense other angels is gone, so I can't help find Mom's body or another angel to help me."

"Don't worry. I'm sure we'll find someone who can help you," Finny said. "We have to."

I leaned into him, careful of my wings. I spread them open wide, and we sat together just like that, enjoying the sunlight, and each others' company.


	15. Chapter 15

I was still leaning against Finny, half asleep, when Dad and Maria returned. I sat up and tucked in my wings. Finny stayed where he was.

Maria walked over to me and checked me for injury, found nothing but bruises, then looked down at me. She was smiling. Dad wasn't, but he seemed to be in a better mood than before. They sat down on the other bed, facing us.

"We may have a lead," Maria said, almost squealing.

I felt my face light up. "Really?" I asked hopefully.

Maria nodded. "I ran into a friend while coming back to check on you. He's a scientist and well known for his findings. I told him that I had heard rumors about someone in town finding an angel and preserving the body. He told me the rumors were true, and that he knows who has it. Your father and I are going to meet him tonight and try to get the rest if the information from him. Oh, Selena, can you believe it? We're so close!"

I was super close to jumping up and down on the bed and pulling Finny into my happy dance, but I was somehow able to keep myself under control. "You're sure this man knows what he's talking about? What if it was him?"

"If it had been him, I would've heard about it right after it had happened." She was smiling. She wouldn't have thought anything of it ten years ago. I knew that for a fact. Unless of course, my hunch was right, and she's not as human as she claims to be.

I smiled back at Maria. She jumped up and ran to the bathroom to prep herself, since it was already almost five o'clock.

"Dad?" I asked. "Haven't you and Finny spent too much time away from Ciel? What if something happened and you weren't there? What if the hunters came back?"

"Young Master Ciel has Mey-Rin and Bard to help him." Finny pointed out.

"But Dad is the butler, after all. I was just wondering what was going to happen when he got back."

"Selena, it will be fine. The worst he could do is hit me," Dad said. "And he's just a child. He's not physically able to do much harm."

I smiled a little. "I just didn't want you guys to get in trouble because of me..."

"Even if we did, I'm sure it would be worth it," Finny smiled.

I smiled back at him, feeling a lot better. Dad gave his signature smile before leaving us so he could go and prepare himself for the upcoming evening.

Finny and I were going to be alone for an entire evening. I suddenly felt nervous. We did need to be alone so I could ask him what that kiss meant, but I really didn't want to ask him. Maybe it was just something to shut me up. That happens a lot, doesn't it?

The bathroom door opened slowly, and Maria walked out. She was wearing a pale blue dress that complimented her light blonde hair. She had a small hat in her hands that matched the dress. It was almost scary how much prettier she looked just by putting her in a dress.

"Wow, Maria, you look amazing!"

She looked over and smiled. "Thanks. I wanted to look nice so maybe I could have a better chance of getting the information."

I laughed a little. Finny was trying to hide his look of horror by facing the other direction. I knew Maria was kidding. Maybe he just thought it was a terrible joke.

Maria laughed at Finny, then said, "Selena, I'm going to go downstairs for a moment. I'll be right back."

I nodded, and Maria left, closing the door behind her.

Finny smiled sheepishly, and I laughed. I'd never thought that I cold have fun in a time of distress, but I was. My father and Maria were going out to find my mother's location, while Finny and I were going to stay in the room and out of sight.

"So what are we supposed to do while they have fun?" I asked Finny.

He shrugged. "There isn't much to do in here. We could play twenty questions, but that isn't much fun unless we have more than two people."

"Go," I said.

"Huh?"

"I'm thinking of something. Try to guess what it is."

Finny smiled. "Is it an animal?"

I shook my head no.

He thought for a moment. "Is it a person?"

I nodded.

"Do they have black hair?"

"Nope."

"Male or female?"

"Yes or no questions only, Finny! But the answer is unknown."

"So it's that weird red person who is in love with Sebastian?"

I nodded. "See? We don't need more people to have fun. Your turn."

Just as Finny opened his mouth to tell me he was ready, the door opened, and there stood a strange man wearing a lab coat and black boots.

I pressed my wings into my back so hard it hurt.

Finny seemed to sense my unease, because he stood and asked, "Can I help you with something?"

The man seemed disappointed. He looked at me intensely, and I stared straight back, fear in my eyes.

Slowly, the man backed away. "Sorry, I must have the wrong room," he said in his foreign accent. Then it occurred to me that we were the foreigners here, not him. "I'll just be going." He pulled he door closed, and I didn't even breathe until his footsteps had faded down the hall, no longer audible.

Finally, I took a breath and tried to calm myself. _Something_ _makes_ _me_ _highly_ _doubt_ _that_ _man_ _was_ _the_ _one_ _meeting_ _Maria_ _in_ _a_ _little_ _while_ _at_ _a_ _diner_ _._ I looked to Finny, who was staring at me worriedly.

"He was looking for me," I told him. "I guess I don't look like myself much anymore, do I?"

"I don't see a difference."

"You're around me every day, so you don't notice." I sighed. "I think I'll go take a bath."

"Alright."

I stood and walked to the bathroom, barely making it before feeling the pain in my wings return. I rinsed out the tub, ran some warm water, undressed, then soaked in the warm water, feeling safe with Finny right outside, guarding me with his life.


	16. Chapter 16

When I got out of the bath, I got dressed and then walked into the bedroom and saw Maria rummaging through bags. Finny looked over at me and shrugged.

"Maria? What are you doing?"

She jumped at the sound of her name. "Oh, Selena, don't scare me like that!"

I was confused. "You should have known I was in here."

"I did, but you can't just sneak up on me the way you did."

"Sorry," I whispered, walking over to Finny.

"It's alright, dear," Maria smiled, then continued searching the bags.

"So what are you doing?" I asked again.

Maria looked up at me. "I was just looking for my hair pin, but I guess I lost it. Anyway, I should go back and join your father." She walked over and patted my shoulder. "You have no idea how much I want this to work out, Selena."

I smiled at her, and she smiled back before leaving the room.

"Well, that wasn't awkward," Finny commented.

I shrugged. "She's never acted that way before."

"It must be the pressure she's under. If this doesn't work, Sebastian might go crazy butler on her like he does us."

I laughed, then sat down on the the bed and looked out the window, watching the trees sway in the wind, and the orange sunset in the background.

***

Third person POV:

Sebastian was standing outside the diner where he and Maria were supposed to meet with this mystery scientist who supposedly knew something about Angelica's whereabouts. He looked at his pocket watch. It had been five minutes since Maria had claimed she'd left something behind in the hotel and raced after it. She had claimed it would take her no less than ten minutes to return.

He put away his pocket watch and looked up at the busy Boston streets. People were running from store to store, carrying armfuls of shopping bags and boxes. The winter holidays were swiftly approaching, so everyone was hurrying to buy gifts for friends and loved ones.

What would he buy Selena? He wondered to himself this thought. He hadn't celebrated winter holidays before he met Angelica. She decided they should celebrate Christmas as a family, and he had agreed. Every year since then, he had bought Selena a Christmas present. He had thought about her the two years they were apart, and had almost bought her a gift out of habit the first Christmas away from her. He wondered what he should do.

"Sebastian?"

Maria's voice pulled him from his thoughts. He checked his pocket watch. Nine minutes, fourteen seconds.

"Right on time," he said, trying to sound impressed.

Maria smirked and pulled her dress back to reveal her shoes. "I know how to work these shoes."

They were white and had about a three inch heel.

"Please," Sebastian said. "Everyone wears shoes like that."

"Hmph!" Maria crossed her arms and looked away.

Sebastian sighed. "So who is this man we're meeting?"

"His name is Christopher. He is well known for discovering new breeds on different species and his other smaller discoveries. He's very intelligent, and I worked with him a couple times while...... uhh...."

 _Hunting_ _my_ _daughter_ _._ Sebastian thought to himself. He didn't question or give the slightest gesture to make Maria know he knew what she meant. All he said was, "Well, we are late, so shall we?" He gestured toward the door to the diner.

"Certainly," Maria said, then led the way inside.

They approached a table with a man sitting in one of the three chairs around it. He appeared to be in his late thirties, had black framed, thick lensed glasses, dark brown hair, pale skin, and was swirling some wine in a glass as he gazed at a menu.

He looked over and saw Maria and Sebastian walking toward him, and then stood to greet them.

He greeted Maria with a hug, and Sebastian with a firm handshake. They all took their seats, and Sebastian and Maria ordered refreshments.

"So, Maria, what all have you heard about this discovery that took place ten years ago?" Christopher asked, sipping his wine.

"We've heard a great deal. A fallen angel, found and hunted down by viscous scientists. Her body was taken somewhere and preserved by the only surviving carriage from a devastating crash. Her body is somewhere in the city's outskirts, but we've had no luck in finding it."

Christopher leaned in, still holding his wine. "Your story has a few tiny errors. Would you like for me to clear misconceptions?"

Maria hastily nodded.

Leaning back, Christopher began his explanation.

*

Selena had fallen into a deep sleep next to Finny on the bed. He lay there, watching the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, slowly and steadily.

He soon sat up slowly, careful not to wake Selena, and looked out the window. It had gotten darker out, and the moon was nowhere in sight. Finny stood and walked over to the window to close the drapes.

He stopped suddenly when he thought he'd seen movement in the bushes. He peered out into the night, but couldn't see anything in so little light. He closed the drapes, and then looked back over at Selena.

She looked so peaceful in sleep. Her face wasn't painted with expressions of pain and depression like it was during the day. Her wings were folded to her back, but he could see a couple black feathers poking their way out the slits in her dress cut for her wings. She wasn't tense or stressed while sleeping. She seemed at ease.

Finny was startled from his thoughts by a commotion in the hallway. He quietly walked over to the door and cracked it open to hear what was going on.

"I promise you," someone was saying, "there are no scientists here!"

"Maybe not, but their precious subject is on this floor! And you have to tell us which room before we blow your head sky high."

Finny quickly ducked back into the room and quietly shut and locked the door. He peaked through the curtains, and saw people with flashlights searching the grounds. They were trapped.

A knocking came on the door, waking Selena. She rubbed her eyes and sat up as the door burst open, revealing men dressed in black and a couple in white lab coats.

Finny saw the fear in Selena's eyes before he even turned to look at her. It was another expression that she seemed to constantly wear. An expression he wanted to help rid her of forever.

"Found you," one man said, then lunged at her.


	17. Chapter 17

I awoke to the sound of loud footsteps and voices. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, then looked around for Finny. What I saw instead was a shock.

Finny lay crumpled on the floor, motionless. People dressed in all black, some bold enough to wear lab coats, were giving each other high fives. Then they turned and looked at me with pure hatred in their venomously horrifying eyes.

They advanced as I tried to pull myself from under the covers on the bed. They were faster, and held me down, tying me up in the blanket.

Frantically, I fought against them. I _had_ to get to Finny, I had to make sure he wasn't gone. He had to stay with me and help me.

Tears were threatening my eyes. I was soon able to rip the blanket that bound me, kick a couple nut job scientists in the head, and race over to Finny.

He was breathing, and there was no signs of physical damage. They had only knocked him unconscious so he wouldn't fight them when they kidnapped me. I smiled to myself, happy that he was okay.

During my moment of relief, a scientist jumped on top of me, and pinned me to the floor, with me lying on my stomach. I squirmed and fought, but to no avail.

All I could do was scream.

"Dad! Help me!!!"

*

Third Person POV:

"The angel that you say was hunted down was killed by mistake. You see, almost ten years ago, a new species was introduced to the world. It looked like a human girl, only it had one black and one white wing. It was often spotted flying in our angel's arms. Shortly after the discovery, we were able to detect where they lived, and what valley they passed over every time they tried to go home."

Sebastian was doing his best to stay calm as Christopher explained how the death of Angelica had been an accident. Christopher was referring to Selena as an "it" and it wasn't setting well with Sebastian.

"So," Christopher continued after another sip of wine, "we set up camp and observed them for a few days. Other than their wings, which could be folded and hidden under a dress or cover, they looked like any other mother and daughter wandering the city. But they were nothing but monsters in disguise."

Sebastian clenched his fists under the table. Christopher didn't seem to notice, but Maria gave him a sideways glance, disguised as a hair flip.

"Once, they landed in the valley we were hiding out in. We were able to separate the two, but the young one cried for it's mother, and the angel flew into the sky, then swooped back down and picked it up, and tried to fly away with my discovery.

"We shot at them, hitting the angel multiple times as she guarded the monster in her arms. Soon, she couldn't fly anymore, and let go of it, releasing it into the air to fly away without a backwards glance. We shot after it, but the angel was able to make one final move to defend the smaller being, and glided forward, taking the bullet in her chest. She screamed, and fell to the ground."

"So what happened to the other creature?" Maria asked, acting like the entire story was brand new to her.

"The other creature escaped to the woods. Once we got there, The only thing we found was a small blood trail, but it soon ended, leading us nowhere."

"What a shame," Maria commented, lowering her head in mock disappointment.

"Yes, it was."

"May I ask who shot the bullet that killed the angel?"

Christopher leaned in close, smirking. "I did."

Maria gasped, but Sebastian wasn't surprised. The way he told the story gave him away.

"I was the only survivor of the crash that destroyed two of our carriages. A lake was made in honor of the ones lost in the crash, because we helped keep the people safe from the monsters that lurk in the shadows. I managed to get away after using a phone to call in for help, then went straight to the docks, loaded the body, and went back to my lab."

"Is the angel there now?" Maria asked.

In a flash, their was a gun pointed at Maria's head. "That depends." Christopher said. "Is the monster with you?"

Sebastian stood quickly, arms in the air. Maria raised her hands as well, and everyone in the diner either copied them or fled from the building.

Suddenly, Sebastian had a terrible feeling. Something had happened to Selena. He could feel it.

Christopher looked up and saw the frown on Sebastian's face. "It seems we've found it." He looked to everyone else in the diner. "Leave now, if you want to stay in one piece." Everyone fled within ten seconds.

Sebastian glared at Christopher. They now knew who had Angelica, but they were all going to be captured.

"Christopher," Maria gasped. "Why?"

"Because I'm going to be the one to expose this monster to the world and hold a public execution, killing it, and it's associates."

"She's just a girl! She's done nothing to deserve being executed!"

"She came into our world and harmed innocent people! Stole from them, attacked them!"

"The only people she ever attacked were people like you who just wanted the money you would get for claiming to have discovered her!"

Christopher motioned with his gun, and two men ran inside, each seizing either Maria or Sebastian. Christopher turned to face Sebastian. "I wouldn't try anything funny, demon boy. These bullets can kill you as well."

"Understood," Sebastian agreed calmly. Alright. No funny business.

Once Christopher had turned around, Sebastian sprang into action. He jerked away from the man holding him with ease, then sent a kick into the side of the head of the person holding Maria. Christopher turned and saw Sebastian carrying Maria, and racing away.

Sebastian stopped at the door of the diner, giving a closed eyed smile. "Now, that wasn't funny, was it?" He ran through the diner doors, dodging bullets as he ran back to the hotel through the dark and busy Boston streets.


	18. Chapter 18

"Let's see those pretty wings of yours."

I struggled against the man pinning me to the ground. After I had screamed for my father, another man tied a cloth around my mouth. I couldn't make a sound.

 _Finny_ _,_ _please_ _wake_ _up_ _,_ I kept thinking to myself. _D_ a _d,_ _save_ _us_ _!_

Someone reached through the slits in my dress and pulled my wings out to full length. This had to have taken more than just one person, but I didn't know. I was keeping my eyes tightly closed, waiting for it to end.

I heard people murmur to each other about my wings, how they had changed. I tried to ignore their words, and only thought of Finny and my father.

Someone put my hands to my back and tightly tied them together with rope. I felt myself being forced to stand, and then a blindfold tied over my already closed eyes.

The people forced my wings to fold back into place, then they snapped them. I cried out in pain around the cloth in my mouth, and then got forced to the floor.

Tears escaped my eyes and dampened the blindfold. I felt my wings snap in several other places, and I cried. Finny couldn't do anything to help me, and I had no clue when he was going to wake up. I just wished it to be soon.

I felt him move beside me, and the wing breaking slowed to a stop. I heard punches, people falling to the floor. Finally, the fighting ceased, and my blindfold was removed.

I kept my eyes closed, trying to keep myself from crying even more. Someone took my hand and helped me stand. I cracked my eyes open, and saw Finny looking at me, a sad smile on his face.

I looked around the room. Scientists lay unconscious everywhere, some already bruising. Others were bleeding, and some looked unharmed, as if they had just fainted.

My wings began to hurt even worse, and I didn't dare look at them. I knew how horrible they would look; broken, bloody, and demonic. I was almost gone. Dad had better have learned something.

I cried out in pain as my left wing bumped into something. Finny sat me on the bed, and a moment later, the door burst open.

Screaming, I hid my face, laying it on Finny's chest, and clutched his shirt in my hands.

I heard a gasp, and felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and saw Maria by the door, hands over her mouth, looking around the room. The hand on my shoulder belonged to my father, who was worriedly looking at me.

Letting go of Finny, I turned and hugged my father, crying. He smoothed my hair and let me cry. I heard Maria walk over and inspect my wings. They were folded and so broken that they wouldn't open up. That was why they had broken them folded. So I wouldn't be able to escape, and people wouldn't be able to tell who I was.

I really hoped no one woke up.

*

Third Person POV:

Selena was crying, bodies were everywhere, and Sebastian had a mad scientist that wanted to execute him, Maria, Finny, and his daughter after him.

Finny was bruised, which Sebastian expected and hoped was from trying to help Selena. He had succeeded in keeping her from getting kidnapped or killed, but she was in terrible shape.

Selena's wings were folded and broken, feathers, blood, and bones poking out everywhere. Maria examined the breaks, and tried to extend one wing gently for a better look. Selena screamed and cried even harder.

Her screams did not go unnoticed by other guests in the hotel. Many came to see what was going on, and saw the unconscious scientists lying on the floor. Many ran to tell employees, but a few stayed, asking if there was anything they could do to help. Finny denied any offer and they all left. Well, all except one.

He appeared to be a boy around Selena's age. He had black hair and hazel eyes. He was wearing all black.

His hands were automatically in the air after Finny gave him a cold glare.

"I heard the commotion from my room upstairs," he said. He walked into the room and closed the door behind him, ignoring Finny's protests. "Trust me, you don't want to stay in here. They'll come back with more people and weapons. Follow me."

He opened the door and walked out into the hall. He leaned against the wall, patiently waiting.

Sebastian looked to Finny, then Maria, and then rested his gaze on his daughter's pained, tear stained face. Her eyes showed horror, and when she looked up at him, all she did was cry more.

Sebastian looked at the boy in the hall, and said, "Alright."

Selena looked nervously to her father, who gently picked her up and carried her into the hall. Once there, they heard a gun being loaded.

"Don't. Move."

Sebastian held Selena closer as he searched for the owner of the voice. He found it almost instantly.

Christopher had his gun to the young boy's head. He had his finger on the trigger, and his eyes showed his lust for blood.

The strange boy, however, didn't seem frightened. He looked to Sebastian, and mouthed one word. _Go_ _._

Out of nowhere, the boy had wings. They were black and white, like Selena's had been. She, however, wasn't even looking. She had her forehead on her father's shoulder, weeping softly.

Sebastian ran for the stairs and went outside into the night. Maria and Finny were right behind him, and they all raced for the nearby woods, hoping for enough time to get Selena back to her normal self again.


	19. Chapter 19

_I_ _couldn't_ _hear_ _what_ _mini_ _me's_ _mother_ _and_ _father_ _were_ _saying_ _,_ _most_ _likely_ _because_ _I_ _hadn't_ _heard_ _it_ _when_ _it_ _had_ _happened_ _ten_ _years_ _ago_ _._ _The_ _mother_ _looked_ _worried_ _,_ _and_ _father_ _was_ _serious_ _._

_Mini_ _me_ _was_ _watching_ _them_ _,_ _her_ _head_ _cocked_ _curiously_ _to_ _the_ _side_ _._ _She_ _shrugged_ _,_ _then_ _danced_ _around_ _in_ _a_ _little_ _circle_ _,_ _singing_ _to_ _herself_ _._

_Her_ _father_ _and_ _mother_ _broke_ _away_ _a_ _few_ _minutes_ _later_ _._ _The_ _mother_ _took_ _little_ _me_ _by_ _the_ _hand_ _and_ _walked_ _her_ _away_ _,_ _while_ _the_ _father_ _walked_ _back_ _over_ _to_ _some_ _people_ _standing_ _in_ _the_ _crowd_ _._

_Mom_ _gestured_ _for_ _me_ _to_ _follow_ _her_ _in_ _the_ _direction_ _that_ _mini_ _me_ _and_ _her_ _mother_ _had_ _went_ _._ _I_ _followed_ _,_ _and_ _then_ _immediately_ _wished_ _I_ _hadn't_ _._

_We_ _were_ _instantly_ _surrounded_ _by_ _hunters_ _,_ _all_ _with_ _loaded_ _guns_ _pointed_ _straight_ _at_ _us_ _._ _The_ _mother_ _in_ _front_ _of_ _me_ _shoved_ _mini_ _me_ _behind_ _her_ _,_ _and_ _backed_ _against_ _a_ _wall_ _._

_I_ _looked_ _over_ _to_ _my_ _mother_ _,_ _who_ _was_ _watching_ _the_ _scene_ _play_ _out_ _in_ _front_ _of_ _her_ _with_ _tears_ _in_ _her_ _eyes_ _._ _I_ _looked_ _back_ _at_ _the_ _memory_ _unfolding_ _in_ _front_ _of_ _me_ _._

_A_ _man_ _shot_ _,_ _and_ _the_ _bullet_ _hit_ _little_ _me's_ _mother_ _in_ _the_ _arm_ _,_ _where_ _she_ _moved_ _to_ _protect_ _little_ _me_ _._ _Another_ _fired_ _,_ _and_ _it_ _hit_ _mini_ _me_ _in_ _the_ _side_ _._ _She_ _screamed_ _,_ _and_ _her_ _mother_ _quickly_ _turned_ _and_ _grabbed_ _her_ _,_ _then_ _flew_ _into_ _the_ _sky_ _._

_The_ _hunters_ _around_ _open_ _fired_ _,_ _and_ _hit_ _mini_ _me_ _and_ _her_ _mother_ _several_ _times_ _,_ _but_ _in_ _no_ _life_ _threatening_ _places_ _._

_The_ _two_ _vanished_ _from_ _sight_ _,_ _as_ _did_ _the_ _hunters_ _surrounding_ _me_ _and_ _my_ _mother_ _._

_"_ _So_ _this_ _was_ _when_ _you_ _found_ _out_ _that_ _the_ _hunters_ _were_ _after_ _me_ _?"_ _I_ _asked_ _my_ _mother_ _._

_She_ _nodded_ _. "_ _Later_ _,_ _you_ _noticed_ _the_ _hunters_ _and_ _scientists_ _camping_ _in_ _the_ _valley_ _,_ _watching_ _us_ _._ _Those_ _were_ _the_ _ones_ _who_ _put_ _us_ _in_ _our_ _current_ _situation."_

_"_ _I_ _guess_ _that_ _means_ _I_ _suppressed_ _this_ _memory_ _from_ _fear_ _,_ _because_ _of_ _how_ _hurt_ _I_ _was_ _."_

_"_ _That_ _is_ _my_ _guess_ _as_ _well_ _,"_ _Mom_ _said_ _._ _Then_ _she_ _smiled_ _as_ _the_ _carnival_ _for_ _the_ _otherworldly_ _beings_ _came_ _back_ _into_ _view_ _,_ _where_ _my_ _father_ _had_ _apparently_ _been_ _an_ _aspiring_ _actor_ _. "_ _Would_ _you_ _like_ _to_ _go_ _enjoy_ _some_ _of_ _the_ _festivities_ _?"_

_I_ _nodded_ _,_ _and_ _we_ _walked_ _back_ _to_ _the_ _carnival_ _and_ _enjoyed_ _ourselves_ _,_ _and_ _the_ _time_ _we_ _still_ _had_ _together_ _._

_*_

Third Person POV:

Maria, Finny, Sebastian, and Selena were hiding in the darkest part of the woods. Selena was sleeping in the grass, while Maria tried to take another look at her shattered wings. Finny sat under a tree watching the stillness of the night, staying on guard.

Sebastian was thinking. The boy had spread wings and fought Christopher while they escaped. Of course Selena was Sebastian's top priority, but he almost felt like he should have handed Selena to Finny and stayed to help. There was no changing his decision now, of course, but maybe he also could have gotten some answers from the boy.

Suddenly, there was movement in the woods nearby. Finny jumped up immediately, and Maria looked up from Selena, fear showing. Selena stayed asleep.

Sebastian walked over and stood in front of Maria and his daughter, ready to fight off an enemy.

The rustling in the grass and bushes got closer, and a dark figure appeared. As it got closer, Sebastian could see that it was no huge threat; it was the boy.

"How did you find us?" Maria asked.

The boy pointed to Selena. "I followed her energy. Which, by the way, has grown incredibly weak since I saw you all last. What's happening?"

"First tell us who you are," Sebastian said.

"Alright. My name is Alex. I'm half demon, half angel, like the girl. But her angelic energy is fading fast. What's happening? I want to help if I can."

Sebastian looked back over at Selena, who was smiling in her sleep. Then he looked back at Alex, and told him what had been happening.

Alex listened intently, truly wanting to help. Once Sebastian had finished, he looked over at Selena, and took a step forward to see her better. Sebastian seemed to stiffen when Alex approached, but he made no move to stop Alex from simply examining Selena.

Alex crouched down beside the young girl, who was somehow able to have peaceful dreams in a situation like this. He smiled to himself at her beauty, but didn't let the others know what he thought. _I'm_ _just_ _here_ _to_ _help_ _,_ he thought to himself, standing.

"She looks so peaceful, when all these horrible things have been happening to her," Alex said aloud. "How is she able to dream at times like these?"

"She's not dreaming, I believe," Sebastian said simply. "She's with her mother."

"But you said her mother was dead," Alex said questioningly.

"No, caught between life and death. That is why we are trying to find her, but the quest became more urgent when Selena's angel half began to die," Sebastian corrected. "That was why we were meeting with Christopher, so he could tell us where the body of her mother lay."

Alex stood. "So you know where it is?"

Maria answered. "Yes. I know where Christopher's lab is, but he wants to kill us all, and Selena can't go in her state. I have no materials or anything to even stop blood flow." Alex could hear the sadness in her voice.

"What do you need?" Alex asked. "I can fly to the city and buy whatever you need to help her."

The relief in Maria's voice was loud and obvious. "Thank you. Um..." She looked at Selena's wings. "A lantern, some bandages, and some soap and warm water, for now."

Alex nodded, then turned away and spread his wings. "I'll be back soon," he said, then took off into the night.

"He seems nice," Maria commented once Alex was gone.

Sebastian turned to face her and his daughter. Finny stayed by the tree, still keeping watch. "Yes, he does."

"Do you think he might stick around to save Angelica?"

Sebastian didn't know for sure. "It's possible."

Maria smiled. "I trust him."

"You also trusted Christopher. Your judgement is not going to be persuading mine anytime soon."

Maria sighed. "He used to be such a good man. I wonder what happened to turn him into such a beast."

"Sometimes humans are beasts from the start," Sebastian said, and the conversation ended.

Selena moved in her sleep. Maria reached to still her but was too late. Selena awoke with a scream, sitting upright in a flash.

A moment later, Alex returned, arms full of supplies. He set all of them on the ground except one box, which he handed to Maria.

"I figured she would need a new one," he said as Maria lifted the lid of the box to reveal a black dress. "I had to guess on the size, but it's better than one that's covered in blood."

"Thank you," Maria said. Alex nodded, then walked over and lit the lantern he bought.

Selena, silently weeping, leaned against her father, eyes closed, waiting for the stranger to leave her alone for good.


	20. Chapter 20

I awoke with a scream as my wing bumped something and shot a horrible pain through me. I sat up quickly, and heard a strange voice. I grabbed my father's arm, and hid my face in his sleeve.

I heard the sound of fire catching, and squeezed Dad's arm tighter. Someone sat down next to me, and I looked over and saw Finny in the dim light. I looked to where the fire was, and saw it was only a lantern. I loosened my grip on my father's arm, but refused to let go.

"Look who's awake," said the strange voice. I hid behind my father's arm once again. I'd had enough of people. Human after human always coming and trying to kill me. I didn't even want to look at the stranger.

But Dad's arm didn't feel tense, like he had to protect me. What was wrong with him?

"Sorry to scare you. I know you've been through a lot. I promise I won't hurt you."

I then realized I was acting like I was five. I released my father and stood, wobbling. Finny quickly stood next to me, and I held onto his arm for balance.

"Who are you?" I asked, trying to make up for my moment of weakness.

"I'm Alex," was all he said.

"Why are you here? Why can't you people just leave me alone?"

He was quiet for a moment, then said, "I want to help. Your father filled me in, and I got supplies for Maria to care for your wings."

I gasped, then turned to my father. "How much did you tell him?"

"Everything."

"Why would you do that? He could be just another stupid human working for that man who happens to be trying to kill me, in case you forgot! Maria's ex husband is still out there as well!"

Dad stood and grabbed my shoulders. "Selena, listen to me. He's not who you think he is. He-"

My father was cut off by the sound of wings opening and meeting the wind. The only person I knew with wings was me, and mine were broken. I looked around, and my eyes fell on Alex, and to both sides of him, wings. The same colors as mine. Well, the same as mine had been.

I just stood there, gaping. How? I was the only one of my kind, wasn't I? It had never really occurred to me that there could be more, but angels and demons don't breed that often.

"Who-" was all I could say.

"Alex," he replied.

"But I thought...."

"So did I," he said.

I stared at him, and he smiled. "Please, I know I'm good looking, but there is really no need to stare, is there?"

I knew it was humor, and I found it funny, but I didn't laugh. "You really came to help me?"

Alex nodded, then seemed to remember something. He grabbed some boxes and a bucket and brought them over to Maria. He kept talking to me, though. "Your wings are in pretty bad shape. Maria told me she needed this stuff to at least stop the bleeding, then she'll fix you up when you return home."

Home. My home was in the demon world, where my father would probably send me and Mom once all of this was over. But somehow I felt like I would never go back.

I nodded to Alex, and my father gently pushed me down, trying to get me to sit. I sat, one of my wings bumping a tree behind me. I held back a scream as I turned my back to Maria.

She untied the top of my dress and opened it to see my wings. Usually, I wouldn't mind the others, but now there was a strange boy around who happened to be exactly like me. But healthier, of course.

Maria extended my wings as far as she could, and I still suppressed my screams. I bit my lower lip so hard it started to bleed.

She started scrubbing my wings with soap and water and her glove, since she didn't have a rag. She tried to be gentle, but the pain was still terrible.

I felt tears run down my cheeks, and I squeezed my eyes closed. I didn't want to cry in from of Alex, for some reason. I felt like I should try to be strong, to prove I'm worth helping.

Maria finally stopped washing my wings and started bandaging them. She couldn't do anything for now besides stop the bleeding, and I had never been more thankful to have her.

Once she was finished. I stopped biting my lip, took a deep breath, and opened my eyes. Alex was smiling at me.

"What?"

"I expected screams. I'm impressed."

"I'm surprised you're smiling and not saying something about my wings."

"Why would I do that? I know about what you're going through, and I want to help. Commenting on it won't help you."

I smiled at him, then turned to Maria and hugged her. "Thanks," I said.

"Of course," she replied, then handed me a box. "Alex bought this for you. He thought you'd rather wear it then one soaked in blood. You can go over behind those thick trees and change." She pointed to her right, where a group of thick trees were.

"Alright." I carefully stood and slowly made my way over to the trees and changed.

Surprisingly, the dress fit perfectly. Barely enough light from the lantern to see reached me, but I could tell the dress was solid black and soft.

I tied the top of the back of the dress, and left the rest of the back open for my wings. I walked back over to the group and sat back down next to my father.

"Looks like I have good taste," Alex said.

"Yes, you do." I replied simply. Then I added, "Thank you."

He waved his hand. "No need. I just happened to think about it."

I smiled at him, and we fell quiet.

Dad was the first to break the silence. "Alright. We need to get back to the dilemma at hand. Maria and I will head out in the morning to Christopher's lab, while Finny and Selena stay here." He turned to Alex. "Christopher and his men will be looking for you as well. I would like for you to stay here and help guard Selena. She cannot protect herself in her current condition."

Alex looked at my dad with a laid back smile. "You could have just said "help guard Selena" and had me at that."

I smiled, then yawned. Dad seemed to notice, and checked his pocket watch. "It is almost two. You should all probably get some rest." He said it to everyone, but was looking at me. "I'll keep watch."

I nodded and carefully lay down in the grass. Alex tucked his wings into place and lay on the other side of the little campsite we had. Finny lay next to me, and Maria stood and went to talk with my father.

I quickly fell asleep, feeling safer than I had in years.


	21. Chapter 21

When I awoke the next morning, my father and Maria had already left, Finny was sitting beside me, and Alex was nowhere to be seen.

I rubbed my eyes, then looked at Finny. "Where's Alex?" I asked him groggily.

I heard the whoosh of wings before the answer. "Just out patrolling the area," Alex answered as he landed flawlessly. "Afternoon, lovely."

"Afternoon?"

Alex nodded. "The rest of us woke at dawn. Your father told us not to wake you. I wouldn't have anyway, though. You're sick and injured. Waking you would've been rude."

"I'm not sick," I corrected. "I'm dying. There's a difference."

Finny didn't seem too happy with me, and Alex gave a forced smile. I was trying to make this easier on everyone else. I'd accepted it. They needed to as well.

"Anyway," Alex said, " we seem to be in the clear for a while. There aren't any hikers in the woods like usual, so no one should find us."

"That's good."

Finny stood. "It's getting colder. I'll go find some firewood or something."

"Alright," I smiled at him.

He smiled back, then went off into the woods.

Alex walked over and sat next to me. "So, how are you feeling?"

I sighed. "I don't think I'll ever be any better."

"Sure you will," Alex said. "Once they find your mom, they're bringing her here to you, right? And then she can help you save your angel side." He then looked down at his hands, smiling. "Wow. I lived without both my parents from the age of nine, and I haven't needed anything from anyone else. So why do you?"

"What happened to your parents?" I asked.

"They died in a shooting, protecting me," Alex replied, his smile fading for a moment. Then he looked at me cheerfully. "But that was in the past. Now we focus on rescuing your mom and your life."

"I guess," was all I could think to say.

"Hey, don't dwell on the past. I'm over it. It was almost eight years ago."

"You're sixteen?"

"Yup."

"I'll be sixteen soon, if I'm not already. I lost track of the date forever ago."

"I believe it is the fifth of December."

I was shocked. "Well, then tomorrow is my birthday."

"Cool," he smiled.

The winter wind blew, and I shivered. "Very much so, actually."

Alex chuckled, then grabbed a blanket from the stack of supplies he'd bought apparently the previous night. He wrapped it around me, carefully avoiding my wings, then stood back.

"Better?"

I nodded. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

I smiled, and that's when Finny returned with firewood.

"You guys should really keep your voices down. I could hear you about half a kilometer away!"

 _Oops_ _,_ I thought. I'd felt safe with Alex, and didn't even think about my current situation. What was wrong with me? I was always worried when I was with Finny. I thought I liked and trusted him, not Alex. Maybe it was just something to do with us being the same.

Finny started the fire, and I instantly felt better. Smoke might give away locations, but for now I was warm and happy, and I felt like nothing could happen to me.

***

Third Person POV:

"Sebastian, why are we out shopping at a time like this? I though we were going to.... um..... help your friend?"

Maria changed her sentence because she noticed she was inside a store, surrounded by normal people who didn't even know angels, demons, and half breeds existed.

Sebastian sighed. "Because, Maria, tomorrow is Selena's birthday. She'll be sixteen, and I want to get her something nice. You're here to help me."

"Why me?"

"Because you are a woman and I'm shopping for a girl. Help me find something."

Maria lowered her voice to a whisper. "But I thought we were going to steal Angelica back today!"

"We were," Sebastian said.

"Well then why aren't we?"

Sebastian sighed again, then turned his attention from the shelves to Maria. "Allow me to make everything become clear. Christopher went back to his lab yesterday and boosted up his defenses. Therefore, the lab is too heavily guarded and we..... well, you..... wouldn't make it inside."

"And why wouldn't I?" Maria asked.

Sebastian stared straight into Maria's eyes, then let his own flash blood red for just a moment, before he turned back to the shelves.

Maria gulped, cleared her throat, then asked. "So what does Selena like?"


	22. Chapter 22

Selena's POV:

I must have fallen asleep at some point, because the only thing I remembered after that was lying on the grass, and not remembering getting there. I was further away from the fire, and it was snowing.

The grass was dusted with snow that sparkled in the light of the fire and late afternoon sun. Finny was tending to the fire, keeping it at a steady size.

I decided to stay lying down, partly because I didn't want anyone to stop what they were doing to take care of me, and partly because I was scared of sitting up and bumping into something with my wings, which still hurt like crazy. I noticed the stack of supplies had more piles on, so I assumed Dad and Maria had stopped by and bought a few things.

Wait! Were they back? I quickly sat up. I was away from all trees, the blanket still over me, but I guess just the force of the wind on my wings when I sat up was enough to do damage. I held back a yelp, then removed the blanket from it's place on top of me, and stood.

I was still wobbling. I was used to my wings on my back being, ya know, NOT broken! Now my balance was all out of whack!

Finny looked up and saw me standing, and ran over, the fire forgotten. He grabbed my arm and tried to help balance me. I tried to pry his hand off, but it wouldn't budge. I sighed.

"Please, Finny. If I'm going to be stuck like this, then I need to learn how to walk on my own again."

He frowned, and reluctantly let go of me.

I searched the area for my father, and found him talking to Maria. So they _were_ back. Then where was Mom?

I started walking toward him, Finny beside me, ready to catch me if I fall. I felt like a baby learning how to walk, but ignored that feeling for the time being. This would all be over soon, and I would go back home and live a normal life.

Dad wasn't facing me, and I wasn't making a sound, but he seemed to somehow sense I was awake and he turned to look at me. Maria seemed to notice something was happening, and she turned as well.

Everyone's eyes were on me, as usual. Also as usual, their stares we're unwanted. I stopped next to the fire- about halfway to my father- and sat, not wanting them all staring at me.

The fire seemed bigger than when I had woken up. Finny seemed to notice as well, because he sat next to me and started poking at the wood beneath the flames with a twig.

"Where is Alex?" I asked Finny over the crackling of the burning wood.

"He said something about buying some drinking water and some new things for Maria to clean your wings again."

Well there was the answer to one question. Number two: "Why didn't they bring my mom back with them?"

"Something about the lab being too heavily guarded. Now that they know that we know where your mom is, they're going to keep security pretty high."

"Why don't they just make it seem like less security is there? That would draw us in, and then they could capture us all."

"Well, just Sebastian and Maria. They are the only ones going on the rescue."

I glared at him. "I'm tired, so just shut up and let me ask questions."

I called over to my dad. "Dad, can I ask you something?"

He stood and walked over to us. "What is it you want to know?"

"What happened the other night? When Christopher and his men attacked?"

Dad seemed hesitant, but told me what I wanted to know. He told me what Christopher had done and said before pulling his gun, and after. He told me that Christopher had said he wanted the monster executed, along with all it's associates.

There was that word again. Monster. I wasn't a monster. I was different, special, unique. Alex and I were the only ones of our kind. We weren't monsters.

But Christopher had stooped so low he was calling me an it? I was almost positive I looked like a girl enough to not be called an it. Or maybe it was a thing he did out of disgust. I was no living being to him: just an "it."

I hugged my knees. "When will you go find Mom, Dad?" I asked, tears forming in my eyes. "I can't hold on for much longer."

I lay my head on my knees, trying to hide my crying. I could practically feel my life force slipping away. I wasn't turning into a demon anymore. Now I was dying.

Dad sat next to me with his hand on my shoulder. I didn't look at him. I just listened.

"We are planning on going tomorrow as soon as we think of a plan."

"Wouldn't tonight be better?" I asked, lifting my head only enough to make sure I was heard. "Won't there be less security at night?"

"I think that's what they're thinking we are going to do, because it makes perfect sense." Maria was speaking like she knew everything. I'd never wished more for someone to disappear. "Remember, Christopher is a genius. He knows practically everything about everything."

"Thanks, Maria," I said dully.

She sighed, and I heard her footsteps as she walked off.

"What we need to do is attack from the inside, but the only way in is to get captured." My father explained.

"But Selena is the only one they would really try to capture, and she's in no state to go anywhere." This from Maria, somewhere behind me.

"What about me?"

I looked up and spotted Alex, landing gracefully. He set boxes down near the pile of supplies and walked over to join our conversation.

"I can go in and find the location inside the lab, then bust out and get you guys inside. Easy."

"Alex, I don't think you should-" I started to say.

He looked at me, and his gaze cut me off. He looked like he really wanted to do this.

"I've done stuff like this before, Selena," he said. "Believe it or not, this isn't the first time I've dealt with scientists."

"We can discuss this more in the morning," My father said. He stood, then walked away somewhere. Finny left as well, only just to find more firewood.

Alex started walking away as well, but I stopped him.

"Alex?"

He turned around and looked at me. "Yeah?"

I looked away from him and into the fire. "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure," he said, then sat down beside me. "What's up?"

I thought for a moment about how I should word the question. I took a deep breath, then asked. "You don't think I'm a monster, do you?"

He was quiet for a moment. For a minute I thought he was hesitating, not wanting to tell me that he truly thought I was a horrible monster, but then he responded casually. "If I did, wouldn't that make me a monster as well?"

"I guess, but...." I let my sentence trail off.

"Humans only come up with names like that because they're scared of us. That's why Christopher and other scientists are always wanting to experiment and kill you. They believe that you and I might have more power than angels and demons combined."

"But I don't have any powers. The only thing I can do is fly."

"That's where you're wrong, Selena," Alex said with a smile. "You have more powers than you realize. I heard you had a vision from the past at a lake in London. That's an ability."

"I thought I only had that because my angel half started dying."

"No, I think you were in pain from the sudden change your body was going through, and your ability took control of you. Maybe you will one day be able to see the future, as well as the past."

I had no words. Alex was only a few months older than I was, so how did he know so much more than I did?

Oh yeah, he'd been at it a lot longer than I had.

His parents, he said, had died when he was nine, protecting him. He's been on his own and on the run for almost eight years. My mother might've died protecting me when I was five, but I'd always had my father. Sure he left me for two years, but he didn't die and leave me forever. I almost reached out and hugged Alex, but stopped myself.

"And what about talking to your mom?"

This pulled me out of my thoughts. Had he been talking the whole time?

"What about it?" I asked him.

"Well, she's, for lack of a better word, dead. And you can communicate with her in a whole other world."

"But she always calls on me. I can't go there on my own."

"But maybe with the right training, you'll be able to talk to other trapped souls, help them decide on whether they should pass on completely. Or maybe you can travel the world, flying high in the sky, searching for something that will help someone in need."

I was quiet, as usual, because I knew of nothing to say.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that no matter what the humans call you, or what they do to torture you, you need to keep living, and live happily. One day, you could prove to be one of the scientists' or other humans' one hope of survival, and then you save them and show them how nice, kind, generous, and not monstery you are. Then they'll see how wrong they were, and all the suffering will be worth it in the end."

"What about you?"

Alex looked over at me. "What about me?"

"Do you have any special abilities other angels or demons don't?"

He shook his head. "I haven't discovered any yet, but someday, we could be the most powerful crime fighting duo in the world."

I smiled to myself, "Yeah, we could."

My smile was suddenly interrupted by violent coughing. Alex pulled me to another side of the fire, farther away from the smoke, and Finny brought me some water. My father brought over the blanket and gently tucked it around me, then gently lay me down on the ground.

He brushed hair away from my face and told me to rest. It was getting late anyway. The sky was dark and the moon was high.

I fell asleep quickly, Alex's words from our long conversation putting me at ease.


	23. Chapter 23

Third Person POV:

"Selena was right, Sebastian," Maria said. "If we put this off any longer, she won't live to see her mother."

"I'm aware, Maria," Sebastian said, starting to get annoyed.

Alex was standing nearby. He walked over to Sebastian and Maria. "I think it would be best if we did this now, while she's sleeping. She might fight or try to convince us not to go if she wakes up."

Sebastian thought for a moment, then said, "You're probably correct on that. We should go while she's resting. Finny can stay and protect her."

"And I'll help keep tabs on her," Alex said. "I can feel her energy probably better than you can, no offense," he directed toward Sebastian. "If her energy suddenly starts to fade, I'll break out and leave. That will let you know that something has happened, and that we need to get back quick."

"You have this all planned out, don't you?" Maria asked.

Alex simply smiled. "I've done things like this before. I know what I'm doing."

"Let's hope so," Maria said under her breath, but they all heard it.

Alex walked over to Finny, who had switched from tending the fire to adjusting Selena's blanket. Alex whispered the plan in Finny's ear, and what his job was. Finny nodded, wished them luck, and then they all went on their way.

***

Finny sat where he was as they left, tending to the fire and making sure Selena was comfortable. He silently wished he could do more to help her, because she was just getting sicker every moment.

It was still snowing, and the white flakes landed on Selena's pitch black hair. Finny thought it was beautiful, but then again, he thought everything about Selena was beautiful. Again, she looked peaceful while asleep, as if she could escape all her problems and have fun in her dreams.

Maria was going to have to clean Selena's wings when she got back. The once white bandages were now mostly red from blood, and Finny knew that couldn't be good. If she was still bleeding, she would die of blood loss before she ever got to see her mother in the flesh.

Finny moved some of Selena's hair out of her face, then returned to tending the fire.

***

Sebastian, Alex and Maria had finally made their way to Christopher's lab. As Selena had said, it appeared that there was less security, but that didn't mean there was.

"Ready?" Sebastian asked Alex.

Alex nodded. "If anything happens, I'll fly into straight back to camp. That's the signal that something happened to her."

Sebastian and Maria nodded, and then Alex ran around to the side of the lab.

He saw an open window and went for it. He climbed inside, and to his surprise, the room was empty. He looked out into the hall. Empty.

He ran around the building and looked in all the rooms. Empty, empty, empty. Every room was empty. He was so confused. He raced back to the room he had entered in through the window, and jumped out, running back to Sebastian and Maria.

"The whole place is empty," he told them.

"But Christopher always had someone watching the place," Maria said.

Sebastian was serious. "Check on Selena."

Alex searched for Selena's energy, it was weaker, and not in the same location as before.

"She's being moved, but I can't tell if its Finny moving her or someone else."

"I doubt it's Finny," Sebastian said, trying to decide what to do. "Alex, you go back and see what's happening. I'll stay here in case they are bringing her this way."

Alex nodded, then took to the sky.

"What about me?" Maria asked.

"Stay right here. I'm going inside to find Angelica." And with that, Sebastian ran up to the lab and made his way inside.

***

Selena's POV:

I awoke to Finny nudging me. His face seemed urgent, and he kept looking behind him. He forced me to my feet, grabbed my hand, and pulled me along at a run.

"F- Finny, I can't..." I tried, but I was already breathing heavily and coughing.

Finny kept running, practically pulling me the whole way. I tripped over something and fell to the ground, scraping my arm that Finny wasn't holding.

He was forced to a stop, and looked over at me. I felt fresh blood on my wings, seeping through the bandages. My arm was now bleeding, I was weak and tired, and I thought he had pulled a muscle in my arm that he was dragging me by.

He looked sympathetic and shocked, like he had just realized what he'd been doing. I had just realized I was still clutching the blanket in my hand for dear life.

He looked behind me, and I followed his gaze to see masses of scientists holding guns and torches. Nice to see that society has grown out of chasing us with pitchforks.

Finny picked me up, and I dropped the blanket. I folded my wings as much as I could, which happened to be about halfway. I'd expected a lot less than that. Finny ran as fast as he could with me in his arms. I looked over his shoulder, and saw the scientists gaining on us. I quickly looked away and closed my eyes; I couldn't do anything to help.

I felt Finny take a sharp turn left, and start running downhill. The town was downhill. Why was he going that way?

Suddenly Finny came to a halt and put me down. I opened my eyes. We were at the edge of the woods. I looked back into the darkness and saw multiple bodies lying on the ground. I clutched Finny's hand, and watched in front of us carefully.

Then someone grabbed me from behind, pulling me away from Finny. He turned quickly to see me being pulled out of the woods.

I fought against the person pulling me, and heard Finny scream Alex's name.

The last thing I saw was Alex rushing after us before something hit me, knocking me unconscious.


	24. Chapter 24

I awoke to something burning my skin. I quickly stood, causing a massive headache. I felt my head and there was a huge lump on the side of it. I inspected where I was. It was a cage, made of, you guessed it, anti demon metal.

I crossed my legs and pulled my dress under them. _Great_ _,_ _they_ _found_ _me_. I thought, feeling defeated. _No_ _one_ _can_ _save_ _me_ _now_ _._

I looked around at what was outside the cage and gasped. It looked like they wanted to make sure I wouldn't get away, because the cage was suspended in the air. Below, people were looking at different types of machinery. Another cage was in the air about ten meters away. I couldn't tell who was in it, but I didn't even want to know anyway. I knew I was being killed, I didn't want to know anyone else.

Just as I looked away, I heard the person in the other cage cry out in pain. The voice sounded masculine, so it was probably some poor demon who got caught off guard.

The windows had sunlight shining through them. It was daylight, December sixth. I was to be executed on my birthday. Lovely.

I started coughing again, more violently than last time. I pulled my arm away from covering my mouth, and saw blood on my dress sleeve.

I wanted to cry, but showing weakness would get me nowhere. I stood and walked over to the edge of my cage. It tipped a little as I moved.

I looked at the other cage, and then started coughing again. I fell to my knees, unable to stop. I coughed up blood in my cage, which started to run down the side and drip onto the heads of scientists. I smiled a little, and finally stopped coughing.

"Selena?"

I turned and looked at the other cage. Someone was looking at me, and I instantly knew who it was.

"Alex?" I asked hoarsely. "Why are you here? Where's Finny?" I coughed again, tasting the blood in my mouth.

"Don't talk," he said. "You're only making yourself worse. I'm here because I tried to save you, and I got kidnapped as well. Finny followed us and said he would find your father and tell him what happened." He sighed. "I guess all this worked out quite nicely."

"How?" I croaked, coughing again.

He gave me a serious look. "I'm serious, stop talking. And what I mean was that the whole plan originally was to get me in here to find your mom, right? Well, I'm in."

I almost laughed. How could he have such high spirits? We were about to be _killed_.

Suddenly, my cage started moving, and I screamed, clutching the bars. Terrible mistake. The bars instantly burned my skin, and I screamed again, then coughed harshly. 

My cage was moving closer to Alex's. Soon the cages were together, and a door on each opened, connecting our cages.

A scientist shouted up, "Keep your voices down, would ya? We're trying to work! Keep each other company until the boss comes in to take you to your execution." Then she went back to her work.

Alex walked over to me and inspected my hands. "Are you okay?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but then closed it and just nodded.

"Good." He then walked back over to his own cage and inspected it. He stood on the opposite side to the door, and the cage tilted. Both cages were not connected. We could get out.

He walked back over to me and sat beside me. "I have a way to get you out of here, but you have to trust me and move fast. Can you do that?"

I nodded, then shook my head.

"Then I'll just have to carry you."

I smiled at him, then out of nowhere, hugged him.

He seemed shocked at first, but then hugged me back. "Don't worry," he said. "I promise I'll get you out of here alive."

I pulled away and nodded. He nodded back, then helped me stand. We approached the side of my cage by the door, and our weight tipped it lower, creating an opening.

"I'll stay up here until you drop down, then I'll jump. If I went first, you'd have to hold on to the cage and hang down to make sure you made it all the way out. Once I'm out, I'll grab you, then we'll make for the exit. Got it?"

I nodded, then crouched down and slipped through the opening. People noticed immediately that I was out and started running toward me. I put my arms up to defend myself. But right before they got to me, I felt something grab my arms and lift me up. I was then thrown into the air and caught by Alex.

He smiled at me as I playfully punched him in the shoulder. "Hang on," he said, and I wrapped my arms around his neck.

He flew faster once I had held onto him. He zoomed through doorways and halls, and stopped at the doorway to another room. He landed and opened the door, still holding me. I looked inside to find my father, Maria, and Finny all gathered there. I didn't jump from Alex's arms like you would think I'd do at a time like this. I let him carry me over to them, knowing I'd never make it on my own.

Alex was about to put me down when the door opened again. We all looked to find Christopher holding a gun, pointed directly at me. His eyes were full of rage, and I had no idea what was keeping him from pulling the trigger.

I just looked at him until he began to speak, his voice raspy with anger. "How _dar_ e you escape from those cages! Why can't you all just be like others and take what you deserve?!"

"How many innocent people have you slaughtered?" I asked, my voice still a croak. I saw Alex look at me while I spoke, and I coughed after, but I had to know.

"I have not killed the innocent! The beings I hunt down are ones that are a threat to the human race! And believe me, they aren't worth being called people. You and everyone else out there even remotely like you are just monsters, waiting for the perfect moment to take down the humans and control the world!"

My father stepped in front of me and Alex, the gun now pointed directly at him. "I apologize, Christopher, but you are starting to become quite bothersome. You see, before leaving London, my young master ordered me to kill anyone who got in my way. I didn't want to do this, but," I couldn't practically hear his eyes turn red, "you leave me no choice."

My father advanced, and Christopher shot the gun. Dad caught the bullet in his hand and then let it fall to the ground, harmless. Christopher jumped back and dropped his gun. "Wait! You'll never thaw the angel without my help!"

That seemed to make my father pause. I could almost see the glare he was giving Christopher, even though he wasn't facing me.

"Do it, then," Dad said.

Christopher walked over to a door that I had thought was just a closet. He opened it up to reveal another door, which he opened to reveal the frozen body of my mother.

She looked beautiful. She was wearing a white dress, and her hair was hanging long and wavy down to the center of her back. Her arms were at her sides, and in her hair was a white rose.

Christopher started a fire in the fireplace inside the room.

 _Selena_ _,_ _I_ _must_ _speak_ _with_ _you_ _now_ _,_ said a voice.

I instantly knew who it was, but I looked around for the fun of it anyway. I had nothing else to do until she pulled me into her world, so I just watched Christopher. I looked up at Alex, who was surprisingly still holding me. He nodded. He saw it too. That small glimmer in a person's eyes that makes you know not to trust them.

I lay my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. I felt Alex's eyes on me, worried.

"Selena? Are you okay?"

I nodded once. "I'll be back soon," I whispered, then fell unconscious and into the world between life and death.


	25. Chapter 25

_"_ _Mom_ _,_ _what's_ _going_ _o_ _n_ _?"_ _I_ _asked_ _her_ _. "_ _Why_ _are_ _you_ _shimmering_ _like_ _that_ _?"_

_My_ _mother_ _sighed_ _. "_ _You_ _know_ _how_ _much_ _I_ _wanted this_ _to_ _work_ _,_ _Angel_ _,_ _do_ _you_ _not_ _?"_

_"_ _Of_ _course I_ _do_ _._ _We_ _all_ _wanted_ _it_ _to_ _work_ _._ _And_ _it_ _is_ _!_ _Christopher_ _is_ _thawing_ _your_ _body_ _so_ _you_ _can_ _return_ _to_ _us_ _!_ _Isn't_ _that_ _great_ _?"_

_"_ _Sweetheart_ _,_ _listen_ _to_ _me_ _very_ _carefully_ _._ _I_ _will_ _not_ _be_ _able_ _to_ _join_ _you_ _again_ _in_ _life_ _._ _It_ _is_ _my_ _time_ _to_ _go_ _,_ _and_ _I am_ _afraid_ _there_ _is_ _nothing_ _that_ _can_ _be_ _done_ _to_ _stop_ _it_ _."_

_I_ _looked_ _at_ _my_ _mother_ _,_ _confused_ _. "_ _What_ _do you_ _mean_ _,_ _you're_ _not_ _coming_ _back_ _?_ _Of_ _course_ _you_ _are_ _!_ _We're_ _going_ _to_ _take_ _you_ _far_ _away_ _from_ _here_ _,_ _and_ _live_ _together_ _as_ _a_ _family_ _!_ _And_ _you_ _can_ _meet_ _Alex_ _and_ _Finny_ _and-"_

_"_ _Alex_ _?"_ _Mom_ _asked_ _curiously_ _._

_"_ _Yeah_ _!_ _He's_ _just_ _like_ _me_ _! He's half and_ _half_ _!_ _You_ _have_ _to_ _meet_ _him_ _!_ _Mom_ _,_ _you_ _can't_ _leave_ _me_ _!_ _I'm_ _dying_ _!_ _I_ _need_ _you_ _!"_ _Tears_ _were_ _streaming_ _down_ _my_ _face_ _._ _She_ _couldn't_ _leave_ _me_ _._ _Not_ _after_ _everything_ _I've_ _gone_ _through_ _to_ _find_ _her_ _!_

_She_ _frowned_ _. "_ _I_ _know_ _sweetie_ _,_ _but_ _maybe_ _Alex_ _is_ _the_ _one_ _to_ _help_ _you_ _,_ _not_ _me_ _. I am_ _leaving_ _this_ _world_ _,_ _and_ _you_ _cann_ _ot_ _stop_ _it_ _."_

_"_ _Why_ _?_ _Why_ _do_ _you_ _have_ _to_ _leave_ _?"_

_"_ _Because_ _my_ _body_ _is_ _no_ _longer_ _suitable_ _for_ _living,_ _Darling_ _._ _I_ _cannot_ _live_ _in_ _a body_ _that_ _cannot_ _sustain_ _life_ _."_

_"_ _I_ _don't_ _understand_ _!_ _Were_ _you_ _frozen_ _for_ _too_ _long_ _or_ _something_ _?"_ _I_ _asked_ _,_ _frantically_ _searching_ _for_ _answers_ _._

_"_ _No_ _,_ _something_ _happened_ _to_ _my_ _body_ _after_ _it_ _was_ _thawed_ _._ _You_ _will_ _find_ _out_ _when_ _you_ _awaken_ _. I am_ _sorry_ _deary_ _,_ _but_ _I_ _must_ _go_ _now_ _."_

_She_ _began_ _rising_ _and_ _fading_ _away_ _._ _I_ _ran_ _to_ _catch_ _her_ _,_ _but_ _couldn't_ _._ _She_ _just_ _kept_ _getting_ _further_ _and_ _further_ _away_ _._

_"_ _I_ _love_ _you_ _,_ _my_ _child_ _._ _Tell_ _your_ _father_ _that_ _I_ _love_ _both_ _of_ _you_ _with_ _all_ _my_ _heart_ _."_ _A_ _single_ _tea_ _r_ _fell_ _down_ _her_ _cheek_ _,_ _then_ _she_ _disappeared_ _forever_ _._

_"_ _Mom_ _!!_ _Noo_ _!!!!"_ _I_ _cried,_ _falling_ _to_ _my_ _knees_ _. "_ _I-_ _I_ _love_ _yo_ _u,_ _too_ _..."_ _Then_ _the_ _world_ _faded_ _,_ _and_ _only_ _darkness_ _remained_ _._

***

Third Person POV:

Christopher sat in a chair in the corner of a room. Alex had set Selena on a couch. Sebastian had told him that she had been called on by her mother, and that she was fine.

The room grew warm with the lit fire heating everything. Everyone was waiting for Angelica to awaken, and Selena with her. A few minutes later, Christopher stood, his hands raised. "I'm going to check on the temperature." He walked into the room, then quickly shut the door, locking it from he inside.

Sebastian beat against the door, and had it knocked down on the second try, but by then it was too late. He was just in time to see Christopher plunge a knife through Angelica's chest.

Sebastian staggered for a moment, shocked, then quickly recovered himself and killed Christopher with a single punch. He walked over to his dead wife, kissed her forehead, then left the room.

He sat on the couch beside his sleeping daughter. She had to have been told by her mother that she was leaving. Angelica _had_ been a very wise angel.

Suddenly, Selena awoke with a scream. She looked at the people around her, then burst into tears, violent coughs interrupting her often. Sebastian held her, and she cried even more.

Sebastian had a feeling Selena would never celebrate her birthday again. He had no idea how to make this easier for her. When this had all happened ten years ago, Selena had been five. All Sebastian had had to do was hold her until she stopped crying, then remove a bullet from her leg. Now she was sixteen, motherless once again, and no one could do anything to help her.

Alex and Finny did nothing. Selena kept crying until she couldn't produce any more tears, then said, "M-Mom said she l-loves you, Dad."

Sebastian gave a sad smile, then hugged his daughter even tighter.

"C-can we bury her, D-Dad?" she sniffed.

"Of course. First thing tomorrow, we'll-"

"No, do it today. I don't want anything else to happen to her." She coughed harshly.

"Wouldn't you want to take her back to London?" asked Finny.

Selena shook her head, but said nothing.

"Alright," Sebastian said. "Finny, you and Maria go to the nearest cemetery and tell them we need a grave, no service. Alex, take Selena for a little flight, let her clear her head, then take her to the cemetery. I'll get Angelica and bring her in a carriage."

Everyone nodded. Alex gently picked up Selena, and she didn't fight or even move. Maria and Finny left for the cemetery, and Sebastian went back into the room to take his wife to her grave.


	26. Chapter 26

After everyone else had left, Alex led me outside. I was still balling my eyes out, but Alex didn't seem to care. He looked pretty depressed about the whole thing, too. He had his arms around me as we left the building, holding me gently like Finny always did.

I coughed again, longer and harder than before. I tasted my blood in my mouth, and saw it on my hand and the ground beneath me. I sat and tried to force myself to stop crying, but nothing I did worked.

Soon, Alex sat down next to me and held me, which comforted me a lot more than I'd expected. I finally calmed enough to stop coughing, and when I did, Alex smiled.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked.

I though about this. It was my birthday. My mother was now truly gone and out of my life forever. I knew that I never wanted to celebrate my birthday ever again. Finally, I said, "Somewhere dark and quiet."

Alex didn't ask questions. He stood, then picked me up and launched us both into the bright, clear sky.

Neither of us spoke for a while. Alex held me, looking around for a place to suit my request, and I had my arms wrapped around his neck so I wouldn't fall, and silently cried with my head on his shoulder.

A while later, I spoke up. "Alex?"

"Yes?"

I sniffed, then said, "Mom said that you might be the one meant to save me, and-" my voice cracked as a new wave of tears threatened my eyes. I stopped talking and lay my head back on his shoulder, trying not to cry.

Alex held me tighter, and I felt his flying slow to a stop. He just hovered there in midair, holding me.

"I promise," he said, "as soon as possible, I'll do everything I can to help you."

I leaned away from his shoulder to look him in the eyes. He looked completely serious, and it felt like some light was being shined on the pure darkness that was my heart.

I hugged him tightly. "Thank you," I kept saying, starting to cry out of happiness more than depression. I still had a chance at survival, and Alex was going to be a part of it!

I was so happy I didn't realize that Alex had flew a little more and then landed. "We're here," he said.

Letting go of Alex's neck, which for some reason felt like an action that should never be done, I looked around. It looked like we were in a small park. There were benches and toys for little kids to play with.

Alex had taken me to a place the sun didn't reach in the park. We were under a thick canopy of leaves and lush tree branches. The trees seemed to be about thirty to forty feet tall. Possibly taller. (Don't judge. I was trying to judge the height from UNDER the trees, after all.)

There were no children at the park today, since it was December, snowy, and cold. The snow wasn't under the canopy, which made the ground dry enough to sit on. The only problem was the below freezing temperatures.

I sat leaning against a tree and shivered. Alex walked over and sat next to me, hugging me. He was obviously trying to share body heat, but I guess it didn't really matter. We were both still freezing.

"Should we go somewhere else?" Alex asked. "You're freezing."

"Where else could we go? People would notice me in the blink of an eye, and all of our problems would start all over again." I looked at him sadly, then began coughing again.

Alex grabbed my hand and pulled me up and into his arms. I was too weak to resist, so I just let him take flight in the middle of the park, which could have been filled with humans, but luckily wasn't.

Alex flew fast, with me, shivering and coughing up blood all over the dress he had bought for me, in his arms. He held onto me tightly. I only had one arm around his neck because the other was trying to cover my mouth.

I wanted to scream at him to stop but couldn't. I stopped coughing and wrapped my other arm around his neck. Gross, I know, but he could take a bath and I didn't want to die by falling more than a hundred meters to the ground.

He soon landed and set me on the ground, then crouched down next to me, hugging me to try and help me stay warm. I looked around to see where we were.

It was the cemetery.

*

Third Person POV:

Sebastian arrived at the cemetery a lot later than expected. A lot of roads had been blocked due to heavy snow and thick sheets of ice. He'd had to find another way around, which added a great deal of time to the trip.

Moments after Sebastian had gotten out of the carriage, a huge gust of wind hit him, and as quickly as it had started, it was over. He looked around, and saw Alex crouched down next to Selena, who had a dress and wings which were both soaked in blood, and was shivering almost as violently as her coughing.

Sebastian quickly shrugged off his tailcoat and wrapped it around his daughter. It seemed to help a little, but not enough.

"Alex, I'm going to go and find Maria and Finny. Stay here and try to keep her warm," Sebastian said, then took off across the graveyard before Alex had a chance to respond.

Sebastian soon caught sight of Maria and Finny, and quickly approached them. They were talking to a rather large and dirty man who was digging a grave.

"So, we just need a grave and a stone. We don't want a service, as it is late and sudden, and we need to return to London as soon as we can. Can't you help us?" Maria was asking.

"Are you just now asking him?"

Maria jumped, then turned and sighed in relief to discover it was only Sebastian. "I apologize, Sebastian, but you have no idea how long it took us to find this man. No one was inside the building, nor were there any people around." She looked around her, then back to Sebastian. "Besides, I don't like places like this."

"Maria," Sebastian said, with his signature smile, "Are you scared of few night creatures?"

"Shut up," Maria said under her breath.

Sebastian just kept smiling.

Maria turned back to the grave digger. "Please, sir?"

"Alright," he said, in a deep, raspy voice. "You got the cash to pay for it?"

Maria was about to answer when a voice came from behind all of them. "Here you are."

They all turned to see Alex, holding Selena close to him. "This should cover it," he said, holding out a rather large stack of dollar bills.

The man wiped his dirty hands on his muddy pants and took the money from Alex. He flipped through it, counting. After a moment, he said, "How big do ya need the grave?"

Sebastian gave the man the length and width the grave should be, Maria stayed calmly where she was, and Finny walked over to Alex and Selena.

She was clinging desperately to Alex for warmth, while doing her best not to cough up blood all over him. Finny held her from the opposite side from Alex, trying to help.

Selena's shivering seemed to subside some, and her coughing became less violent. She changed over from coughing constantly to crying silently, with violent coughing fits occasionally.

The large man glanced over Sebastian's shoulder at Selena, who looked pitiful. His hard face turned soft with sympathy, and he dug a key out of his pocket. Handing it to Sebastian, he said, "This unlocks the building in front. Take the poor little lady inside and let her warm up. I'll come get you when everything is ready."

Sebastian gratefully took the key and thanked the man, who nodded in response, and told the boys.

"Alex," Sebastian said, holding the key out to him. "Fly on ahead and get Selena inside. We'll be right behind you."

Alex nodded, took the key, then carried Selena toward the building, and momentarily out of sight from the rest of the group.


	27. Chapter 27

Memories of getting from the park to the small, warm building by the cemetery were all a bit hazy. I remember my mother's dead body vividly. Her pale skin, her once white dress dyed red with blood, and worst of all, the long knife protruding from her chest, buried to the hilt inside of her.

I sat on the floor, refusing to possibly damage some kind stranger's sofa with a blood stain. Alex tried persuading me that it would be okay, and warmer than the wooden floor, but I still declined.

Alex stayed beside me on the floor, his arm still wrapped around my shoulders, which I assumed was just to make sure I was warm. I had stopped shivering, but I was still shaking out of pain, fear, sadness, and frustration. I cried softly.

Someone knocked on the door once before opening it, and I jumped, then hid my face on Alex's chest, clutching his shirt. I felt him hug me, and I looked up at him.

He was smiling at me knowingly. He knew exactly what I was afraid of, and why I was leaning to him to help and protect me. He nodded to something behind me, and I looked cautiously.

It was only Finny, Dad, and Maria, all smiling down at me. Well, except Finny. He had crouched down to floor level, so he was just smiling at me.

I let go of Alex and latched my arms around Finny's neck, hugging him tight. He hugged me back, gentle as always, and let me cry on his shoulder.

***

Third Person POV:

While Selena and Finny and Alex sat and talked, Maria pulled Sebastian to the other side of the room.

"Sebastian," Maria said softly, glancing back at Selena. "I can tell that we are running out of time. We should have left for London hours ago. Now I am not sure she can survive a boat ride back."

"Yes, Maria, I'm aware," Sebastian answered.

"We should leave immediately after this is over."

"Fine, but it'll be tough getting her on the boat," Sebastian said, looking over to where Alex, Finny, and Selena were laughing and chatting away. He finished, "if she has to say goodbye."

Maria followed his gaze, then sighed. "You're right about that." She thought for a moment, then gasped. "Sebastian, I have an idea."

She was about to explain when someone knocked on the door and entered. It was the grave digger, dirty shovel in hand. He told them, "Everything is ready. Jus need the body and family to say goodbye."

Sebastian nodded, and led the man outside to the carriage. Maria followed them, while Finny, Alex, and Selena stayed inside. Alex helped Selena stand, and she leaned on Finny for support.

"Let's go," Alex said.

Selena nodded, then let Finny help her back into the freezing wind, to say goodbye to her mother for the last time.

***

Selena's POV:

When we walked back into the freezing snow, it was early sunset. The sky was a light yellow in the distance between the dark clouds. The snow was still lightly falling, but I thought it was a terrible sight. All I could see was blood everywhere. I wanted to cry.

Alex put his hand on my shoulder. He could probably sense my despair, and how little energy I had left to finish off the day.

Dad, Maria, and the grave digger came back with a table with a tarp over it. The tarp covered my mother's body head to toe. When they reached us, the man pushed the table and led us all to the grave.

The man picked Mom up gently, then placed her in the grave uncovered, since we couldn't pay for a casket. After lowering her into the grave, the man removed the tarp so we could see her one last time. As soon as it was off, I started crying uncontrollably.

Her dress still was covered in blood, but thankfully the knife had been removed. Her wings were tucked out of sight.

I though of something, and pulled on my dad's arm beside me. He looked down at me, and I stood on my toes and whispered in his ear. He nodded, then asked the man if he could give us a few minutes to say goodbye privately.

"Sure. Take all the time ya need," he said sympathetically, then walked back toward the building.

Dad bent down and pulled Mom out of the grave. He hugged her, then felt her back for the slits in her dress. He reached inside one, and extended my mother's wing.

They had been light gray when I was a child, because she was fallen. Now, they were a pure and gentle white. Each of her wings extended fully to about eight feet. I bent down and sat next to my father, surprising Finny, who had been holding me up, and Alex, who had not removed his hand from my shoulder.

I leaned on my father as I ran my fingers across my mother's wing. It was softer than any animal I had ever pet, or any pillow I had ever touched.

"Dad?" I asked through tears.

"Yes?"

"Do you think they f-finally let M-Mom back into h-heaven?"

Dad smiled at me, then pulled me into a hug. "I believe they did. She's home, Selena. Don't ever forget that."

Crying harder, and coughing harshly often, I nodded and hugged my father with all the strength I had left. I felt him move one of his arms away from hugging me, but then placed it back. Then I felt a strong gust of wind, which only lasted a moment. I looked around through tears, and noticed Alex was gone.

That only made me cry harder. Why would Alex leave me in my time of hurt and need. I thought he cared. _He_ _had_ _until_ _now_ _,_ _at_ _least_.

I stroked Mom's wing one last time, then nodded to Dad, who nodded back, then refolded Mom's wing neatly into place. Before he could put her back into the grave, though, I broke down completely and hugged my mother, crying harder than ever before, coughing almost the whole time. Why? Why did bad things always have to happen to me? I thought my mom dead for ten years, demon hunters and scientists tried to kill me for two years, I start dying off, I find my mother only to lose her forever, and I meet someone like me only for him to abandon me when I need him most. Not to mention we bury my mother on the anniversary of the day she was brutally murdered, which just so happens to be my one and only sixteenth birthday. I've lived the best life imaginable, haven't I? (Please note the sarcasm.)

I cried over my mother for I don't know how long. Once I finally sat up, I had her blood on my dress. I pulled the flower out of her hair and put it in mine, then noticed the necklace around her neck. It was the one she had always worn for as long as I could remember. She would never take it off. It was cross, with diamonds embedded into it. I looked from the necklace to my father, my eyes pleading. He smiled and nodded, and I quickly undid the clasp on the chain of the necklace and slid it off. I gave it to Dad, who took it and clasped it around my neck.

I looked back down at my mother. Her neck looked bare without the necklace, and I didn't like it. I took Mom's arms and crossed them over her, then kissed her cheek. Dad lowered her back into the grave and was up again in time to see the grave digger walk out of the building and back toward us.

"Ya'll ready? Its been almost and hour. I know you'll miss her, but staring at a dead body isn't good for people emotionally."

Dad looked to me, and I nodded. He turned back to the man. "Yes, We're ready."

Mr. Grave Digger said a prayer over the grave, wishing us well and asking God to watch over us and help is through this tough time. When he finished. He said he would bury her after we leave, then he went back to building.

We all said our goodbyes, then started walking back. We reached the gate of the cemetery, and heard someone scream.

"BASSY!!!!!"


	28. Chapter 28

I felt Finny grab my arm and pull me away from my father just in time. My father, when I looked back at him, had an annoyed expression on his face as none other than the red reaper clung to his arm for dear life.

"Grell, please move. We are in a hurry," Dad said, irritated. Did I seriously hear him say please?

Grell stuck out his lower lip in a pout. "Were you going to leave me _again_ _,_ Bassy?"

Dad thought for a moment. "Actually, I'd like you to do me a favor."

Grell gasped, then let go of my father and clasped his hands together in a pleading way. "Oh, Bassy, anything!"

Dad smiled, then grabbed Finny and Maria and moved them between himself and Grell. "You somehow got these two here. I want you to take them back to London. You may leave them at the docks. We will be following close behind."

Grell stepped forward and gave Sebastian a pouty face. "Will you ditch the girl?"

"Never."

Grell sighed, then said, "Fine, as long as you are asking, Bassy, I'll do anything!" Grell twirled, his red coat flowing. Once his twirl ended, he fixed his hair, grabbed Finny and Maria, and dragged them toward the direction of the docks.

***

Third Person POV:

Alex thought about how he had left the graveyard without a word to Selena while he was flying. He could practically hear her wails from where he was, which was a couple miles away. Maybe he could just sense her pain.

He soon landed in Selena and her friends' old campsite. Several scientists still lay dead on the ground from where Alex had fought them trying to save Selena.

He walked over to a toppled pile of goodies and supplies. Most of the boxes were smashed, but a few were lying in the snow, unharmed.

Sebastian had whispered in his ear while at the cemetery to come back here and search for any remains of Selena's birthday presents. He held his breath as he opened the boxes. One held a dress, solid black, and a white hair ribbon. Another contained a small stuffed bear, which looked pre-owned.

The last box was small, but wide. Alex opened it to find a small charm bracelet inside. One charm was a set of wings, another was a skull and crossbones. Alex smiled to himself as he examined the bracelet. It was the one he bought for Selena on his errand for Maria just the day before.

All the gifts seemed to be unharmed. As he searched the smashed and broken boxes, he, relieved, saw they were just full of supplies. He picked up the gifts and returned to the sky, sensing for Selena's energy.

It was faint and fading fast. Alex had no clue how she had managed to hang on this long. He had promised to do everything in his power to save her, but wasn't sure she'd survive long enough for him to carry it out.

***

Sebastian waited for Alex at the gate of the cemetery, sitting on a bench. Selena was asleep, her head on her father's shoulder.

Sebastian watched as the sun set behind the horizon, and darkness took over the earth. The moon was nowhere in sight, and few stars twinkled overhead. Soon he heard the sound of wings, and a felt a quick, strong wind.

Looking over his shoulder, Sebastian saw Alex. He was holding three boxes, Which must have contained the presents. Alex moved to stand in front of Sebastian, and gave him two of the boxes. He put the third one in his pocket, then rested his eyes on Selena.

"So you know the way to England?" Sebastian asked him.

Alex simply nodded.

Sebastian gently lifted his daughter into his arms, careful not to wake her. He faced Alex. "Fly her back. I will meet you there shortly."

Alex didn't ask questions. He carefully took Selena from her father's arms and softly took to the sky. He flew slowly at first, not wanting the wind to wake her. But when he noticed the speed wasn't going to wake her up, he tried a little faster. He repeated this process until he was at a close to normal speed, then stopped and stayed at the same pace.

Selena stayed fast asleep, not even moving as Alex's speed increased. Her hair flew in the wind, but somehow remained untangled. Her black dress, covered in blood, dirt, and tears, was flying everywhere. And her wings, still wrapped in blood soaked bandages, we're perfectly still. He would have thought he'd lost her if not for her weak energy signal she still gave off and the wavering rise and fall of her chest as her breathing became ragged.

Alex flew a bit faster, scared that if he didn't, she wouldn't last the flight.


	29. Chapter 29

My dreams were full of my mother's dying moments. Releasing me into the sky when I was five, a knife driven through her chest, and her shimmering body as she faded from the world between life and death, out of my life forever.

I awoke when my father handed me off to Alex, and heard him whispering to him about taking me back to London. I kept my eyes closed, not wanting Alex to know I was awake. Why had he left when I needed him near me the most? I thought he had abandoned me after his promise he made, as if he realized he had no idea how he was going to keep it. At least he returned, though. At least he didn't leave me for good.

I felt him speed up every once in a while, and then a mega boost later. I stirred in his arms, trying to keep my wings perfectly still. This just caused Alex to hold me tighter.

"We'll be there soon, Selena. Just try to hang on," he whispered in my ear.

I nodded, and nuzzled my head against his chest, falling back to sleep almost instantly.

***

When I awoke, the sun was peeking through curtains, and I was laying on a bed. I had been carefully placed on my side, so I wasn't lying on my wings.

With one look around the room, I knew I was in Maria's house. I could tell because of the furniture and wallpaper. They didn't look anything like the Phantomhive Manor. Plus, I knew they wouldn't even think of taking me back to the manor in my condition.

I stood from the bed on wobbly legs, and slowly started toward the door. I coughed violently before making it halfway there, and fell to the floor.

Suddenly, the door burst open and Alex was at my side in seconds.

"What happened? Are you alright?" His hands were on my shoulders, and he was looking at me earnestly.

I nodded, my coughing starting to subside. Then I practically threw myself into his arms, crying.

Alex was shocked at first, but then wrapped his arms around me, holding me while I cried.

"It'll all be okay, Selena. I promise, you'll be okay."

***

Third Person POV:

When Selena finished crying, she looked up at Alex, wiping her eyes.

"How will it be okay?" she croaked. "Alex, my mother is dead, I won't even last a couple more days. How will everything be okay?"

Alex thought for a moment, not sure how to respond. Apparently he thought longer than he'd realized.

Selena gave an exasperated laugh. "You don't know, and yet you still tell me? Why lie to me? I know what's going to happen, Alex. Stop denying the truth. I'll be dead in a couple days, then you can go back to your life. You'll be the only one again. Enjoy it. Maybe they'll make you famous."

Selena stood on shaking legs and made her way to the door. She opened it, stepped into the hall, and then closed it again.

As Alex got to his feet, he heard something hit the ground, followed by Selena's screams.

Rushing out the door, he saw Selena lying on the floor, and heard her sobbing softly. He quickly got to her side and kneeled next to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she carefully turned her head to face him, her face covered with tears.

Alex helped her sit up, and then Selena latched onto him in a death grip. She was balling, and all he could do was hold her.

"Why did you leave, Alex?" she cried. "Why did you leave when I needed you?"

Alex patted her back. "You'll find out in a moment. I was up here waiting for you to wake up so I could take you downstairs. Everyone is worried and wants to see you."

Selena stopped crying and gaped at Alex. "You left me at my mother's funeral, when I needed you to comfort me, and now you won't even tell me why? What's gotten into you? You weren't like this before."

"I know, and I apologize. We have a surprise for you, Selena. That's why I can't tell you."

"A surprise? You really think I want a surprise right now? That's the last thing I want! What I want is for you to talk to me! What I want is for anyone to accept what is going to happen!" She paused for a moment, her eyes beginning to glisten once again with unshead tears. "What I want is my mom."

Alex frowned. "I know you do. Believe me, so do I. But bad things happen. Like your mom told you, I'm going to try to help you. Maria is going to work on your wings. Cleaning them out is sure to help you stay alive. That's the first step. Now, we need to get you downstairs. I'm sure your father is worried."

Selena huffed, "Fine."

Alex helped her to her feet, and then slowly lead her down the stairs to her awaiting friends.


	30. Chapter 30

Alex gently led me down the stairs and into the dining room. I gaped for a minute at everyone waiting for me around a table. I turned to Alex. "This is your idea of a surprise?"

I heard a chair screech against the wooden floor, and looked up to see my father walking over to us. I let go of Alex and latched onto my father's arm.

Dad led me over to the seat where he had been sitting. I sat in the chair sideways so the back wouldn't touch my wings.

Alex walked over and stood next to me. He kept glancing around the room, like he was expecting something big to happen. All I expected was some bad news.

A door opened behind me. I turned and saw Finny walking into the room, with a few boxes in his arms. He sat them on the table, them walked over to me.

Once Finny was close enough, I reached out and hugged him. He hugged me back, gentle as always. I automatically felt better knowing he and Alex were both there with me, even though Alex still hadn't explained himself.

I let go of Finny and turned to my dad. "Alex kept saying that he left the other night because you had a surprise for me. Is he telling the truth, or trying to make sure I don't hate him for being a jerk?"

Dad laughed and Alex sighed. "Yes, Selena," Dad said. "We have a surprise for you. Alex left when he did because I told him to go get it. I didn't know him leaving would hurt you so much."

"I didn't either," I mumbled. Then I spoke up. "I don't know what it is, but I feel a connection between me and him, Dad. Is it because we're the same? Or is there something else?"

Dad smiled, and Alex was quiet. Did he feel the same thing? Then Dad spoke. "Hopefully all will become clear as you spend time together trying to restore your angel half."

"Yeah, maybe. But I think there might be a part of me that doesn't want to find out..."

Dad smiled sympathetically and brushed some of my hair from my face. Then he walked over to the boxes and went through them one at a time, before closing them. While he was doing this, a thought occurred to me. "Where's Maria?"

"She's upstairs preparing for the surgery to fix your wings, getting everything she needs pulled out and cleaned." Alex answered.

"What about Peter? We are back at Maria's house, right?"

"He's in his room studying. He's really smart for such a little guy."

I turned my head to Alex. "When did you meet him?"

"This morning when I was carrying you upstairs, he was standing in the hallway. He was worried about you. We talked for a bit before he went back to his room."

I nodded. "When did Maria want to do this surgery?"

"She said it would be best to do it as soon as possible, but we wanted to give you the surprise first."

I nodded again. I didn't have any idea why they put this surprise over my health. I felt exhausted and nauseous. My throat was dry and my head was spinning. I folded my arms on the table and rested my head on them, then turned my head in Finny's direction.

"Finny, can you get me some water?" I asked, my voice starting to croak as I became more aware of how I was feeling.

Finny nodded. "Sure thing," then hastily ran toward the kitchen.

Dad brought the boxes over and sat them on the table beside me. He then turned to Alex. "Go see if Maria wants to join us, would you?"

Alex nodded his head and then turned and ran upstairs.

"What is it?" I asked, then tried to cough lightly, but it came out harsh and painful.

Dad rested his hand on my shoulder. "You'll find out momentarily."

I sighed, only causing me to cough again.

Finny showed up a moment later with a glass of water, and he handed it to me. I sat up and took it from him, then drank about half of it before setting the glass on the table, and returning my head to my hands. My throat didn't feel as dry anymore, but I still felt tired and sick.

Alex finally came back downstairs with Maria behind him, who seemed to still be cleaning equipment. She looked up and smiled at me, then put down whatever she was holding on the table.

"Alright, now that we're all here," my father said with a smile, then slid the boxes over to me. "I know they're a day late, but here you are. Happy birthday."

I felt tears in my eyes. Didn't they know that I would never want another birthday again? I don't want any presents, or anything. It'll just remind me that Mom is gone, and I can't do anything about it.

I didn't sit up, or make any move to open the boxes. I looked away from them and down at the table.

I could almost hear Dad's frown. "Selena, I know you feel awful about this, but you need to accept the past and move forward." He moved a lock of my hair behind me ear. "There was nothing going any of us could do."

At that I shot up. "Really? Because before I passed out I saw an evil glint in his eyes. A look that told me he couldn't be trusted." I turned to Alex. "I thought you saw it too."

"I did, but I don't think any of us trusted Christopher after what he put everyone through. I-"

"So you didn't tell anyone? He was obviously scheming to kill one of us, if not all of us!" My voice was shaking, and my throat felt clogged. I started coughing to clear it, but it turned into a fit that felt never ending.

Alex picked up my glass of water and handed it to me. I took it from him and gulped down what was left, then set the glass on the table. I was ready to burst into tears.

"I could've done something," I said quietly. "If Mom hadn't called me, I could've done something to save her."

"Selena, the only way you would have saved her was if you first got yourself killed," Alex said. "Maybe that was why she called you before her death and kept you there. It was because she knew you would do something and get yourself killed."

"I'm going to die anyway. I could of saved her. I could've died and not her!"

I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder and turned to see Finny.

"Selena, your mom would want you to stay alive and think positive. You're not going to die. Maria is going to do whatever she can to help you physically, and Alex is going to help you revive your angel half. Just stay positive, okay?"

I looked him in the eyes. "Why me, Finny? Of all people, why me?"

I looked away from him, rested my head in my hands on the table, and cried over my miserable life.

***

Third Person POV:

Sebastian rubbed his daughter's back as she cried, and the rest of them stayed quiet, not knowing what to do.

Selena sat up and took a deep breath, causing Sebastian to take back his hand.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Whatever this is, I'm ready to go on with it. I didn't mean to break down like that."

"Don't apologize, dear," Maria said, walking over and placing her hand on Selena's shoulder. "You're in a rough spot right now. It's okay to cry if you need to."

Selena smiled brightly at Maria, the only woman left in her life that could be a role model. She always knew what to say and how to make Selena feel a bit better about any situation.

Maria smiled back at Selena, then handed her the first box. "This is from me."

Selena looked down at the box. It was a pale blue box with a lid the same color, It was a smaller box, maybe a bit bigger than Selena's head.

Opening the box, Selena was stunned when she saw what was inside. She set the lid aside and pulled out the contents. It was the same stuffed bear that Maria had gotten her on the ship over.

"How did you find this?" Selena asked, stunned. "I thought we left it at the inn."

"We did. While your father and I were out, and you, Finny, and Alex were back at the campsite, we went back to the inn and retrieved it."

"Christopher didn't have anyone watching for us?"

"Oh he did. I was able to bribe them, though."

And that was all Selena wanted to know, so she thanked Maria with a hug and pulled out the next box.

It was a very small box that fit in the palm of her hand. The box was white, had a top that was just pulled off. Selena pulled the lid off, and gasped.

It was a silver necklace, on it a rose, embedded with black jewels.

"Finny..." Selena said, speechless.

Finny smiled. "I thought you would like it." He walked over behind Selena, and stretched his arm out for the necklace. "Here."

Selena gave him the necklace, then pulled her hair away from her neck. Finny gently clasped the chain around her neck, then let it fall against her skin. Selena let go of her hair and examined the necklace with a huge grin

Finny walked around and stood beside her. Selena hugged Finny tightly. "Thank you."

Smiling, Finny waved his hand. "No thanks necessary."

Selena let go of him and grabbed the next box. It was bigger than all the others, but the color and type of box was the same. Removing the lid, Selena saw a black dress with a white hair ribbon. She looked directly to her father and smiled brightly.

Sebastian smiled back, and hugged his daughter.

"I'll change into it after the surgery, Dad, I promise."

"Wear it whenever you want."

Selena smiled again, then grabbed the last box and laid it in front of her. It was small, and black with a white lid.

Carefully removing the lid, Selena looked inside the box and smiled. She removed a charm bracelet, with charms of a pair of wings, and a skull and crossbones.

Selena slipped on the bracelet, then looked over at Alex. He was watching her, waiting for her response. She kept a straight face as long as she could, then broke out into a big smile. She reached out her arms, and Alex, playfully rolling his eyes, walked over and hugged her.

"Now all we have to do is reawaken your angel, and my present is complete."

Selena beamed at him, then stood and hugged him again, with her arms wrapped around his neck. She cringed as her wing came in contact with the back of the chair.

Maria noticed, and stepped in. "I think it's time we prep you for surgery, deary."

Nodding, Selena broke away from hugging Alex, and steadied herself against him.

"Alex, why don't you lead her upstairs for me?" Maria said. "Her gown is on her bed, if you'll go make sure she gets changed. Sebastian and Finny, could you come help me set up the operating room?"

Everyone nodded, and Alex took Selena back up to her room.

"Do you need any help changing?" Alex asked, blushing slightly.

"Can you just untie the back? I should be able to get it from there."

"Sure." Alex carefully untied the back of Selena's dress, trying not to touch her wings.

Once he was finished, Alex turned around.

"Should I leave?"

"I don't care. Wait there in case I fall."

Alex nodded, then Selena turned and changed into her gown.

"Finished."

Alex turned around and saw she had on the white gown Maria had laid out for her.

Alex grabbed Selena's arm as she started looking pale.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Selena nodded. "I'm fine. Let's just go."

"Selena, what is it?"

"I just told, you. Nothing is wrong!" Selena said, raising her voice.

Alex got in front of Selena and held her shoulders. "Something I wrong. What is it?"

Selena looked at Alex with tears in her eyes. "Fine! I'm _scared_ , Alex, isn't that obvious?"

Alex looked at Selena sympathetically. "It's okay to be scared, but I promise you that you'll be okay. I'll make sure of it. Alright?"

Selena nodded, then hugged Alex. He hugged her back, then pulled away and led her down the hall to the make shift operating room, where she was hugged by everyone, even Peter.

"Hey," Alex said as the door was about to close everyone out. Selena turned to face him.

"See you when you wake up."

Selena smiled. "See you then." And then the door closed between them.


End file.
